When Love Takes you in
by BlueMoonFan
Summary: Okay, so this story is based on the Season 6 episode, The Good, The Bad and The Baby. Baby Cosmo's parents are killed before Castle and Beckett can rescue them. This is being written for the 2015 Castle Summer Hiatus Ficathon Entry. Cover art is by dtrekker.
1. Chapter 1

Dead. Paul and Miranda Vail were both dead. Killed by Paul's boss because his wife didn't pick the right group of balls in the lottery. Luckily their son Benny had been in the custody of Castle and Beckett. However, the little boy was now, officially an orphan. Logically, Beckett knew that it wasn't their fault, but part of her wondered if they had waited too long. If she had only worked faster.

Castle tried to tell her that it wasn't her fault. That the only one to blame was Paul's boss. Arriving home that night, Kate saw Martha and Alexis with little Benny. Her heart broke for the tiny baby. He had managed to work his way into her heart in just a few short days. Now he had lost both of his parents. It just wasn't fair.

After celebrating Thanksgiving, Castle went in search of his wife. He found her sitting in their bed. She had her head resting on her knees and she was deep in thought. Climbing into bed beside her, he asked her softly, "What's wrong?"

Beckett continued to stare straight ahead, but said nothing to him. He put himself directly in her line o sight and gave her a funny look. She laughed sadly, but shook her head softly, "Nothing..."

"Why don't I believe you?"

She shrugged, "Don't know."

Castle knew her. He knew all of her tells. He knew when she was happy. He knew when she was upset. He knew when she was sad. Right now, he couldn't quite read her. All he did know was that for whatever reason, she wasn't being completely honest with him. She had something on her mind. Something that she wasn't quite ready to share with him. It bothered him. Mostly because they had agreed to always be honest with one another.

He took her into his arms and hugged her tightly. Then he asked, "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?"

She pushed him away and got up off the bed. She walked into the bathroom and shut the door. He sighed and decided that he would give her a moment and then he would follow her. However, before he could make his way into the bathroom, he heard Benny crying. So, he walked out into the living room to rescue his mother and daughter.

"Benny my man! What seems to be the problem? You have these two beautiful ladies here doting on you! You should be on top of the world little man."

Alexis smiled at her father sadly, "I think he misses his mom."

Martha agreed, "Yes Richard. What's going to happen to him? Is he going to go to a foster home?"

Castle sighed, "I'm not sure. Kate told me that we have him for tonight. I'm sure that we will have to surrender him tomorrow. It was only supposed to be temporary after all."

Unknown to the others in the loft, Beckett was standing in Rick's office. Listening to the entire conversation. She had known that the custody situation with Benny was temporary. She had even admitted that she wasn't a baby person. What she hadn't counted on was falling in love with the temporary charge. Sure, they had no reason to keep him, but she couldn't bring herself to give him up. Seeing Rick with him was like getting a glimpse into what the future held for them. She could see him with their own baby. But what if they could be more for little Benny? What if they could be his family? Would Rick agree to it? Or would he call her crazy?

Maybe she was crazy. She wasn't mother material. She'd been afraid to even hold him earlier, but the longer they had him, the more at ease she felt.

Walking out into the living room, Benny saw her and suddenly his tears stopped and he had a watery smile on his face. Beckett walked over to Castle and took the baby from him. Almost like it was the most natural thing in the world for her. She kissed the top of his head and whispered, "It's okay sweetheart. I've got you."

Alexis, Martha and Castle were rendered speechless. She looked completely comfortable with the little boy. She was talking to him and then she walked him over to the piano and played a few notes for the baby. He cuddled up against her and he let one of his hands play with her hair. Kate closed her eyes and wondered how on earth she was ever going to be able to give up this sweet little boy that she had fallen in love with in only a matter of days. And the real question was did she want to?

Once the got Benny into bed for the night, Castle and Beckett climbed into their own bed. Beckett rested her head on Castle's chest and he stroked her hair. He kissed the top of her head and asked, "Do you want to tell me what's going on? Why you were so upset earlier?"

Beckett shook her head softly, "It's stupid really."

"Kate..."

She closed her eyes and swallowed hard. Then she managed to whisper so very softly, "He doesn't have anybody Rick. He's lost both of his parents. How is that fair? What if he goes to a family that won't love him? I..."

Castle sat up and turned to face her. Then he asked, "What are you saying Kate?"

She took a deep breath and then stood up next to their bed and looked down at her feet. What was she saying? Did she really want to take on this responsibility? Were they ready for it? Would Castle refuse because Benny wasn't their baby? She didn't think he would. It was apparent to anyone that saw him with baby Benny that he loved the little guy like he was his own.

Kate finally whispered, "I want to take him Rick. At least until they find him a good home."

That wasn't what she wanted to say really. What she wanted to say was that she wanted to give him a home. She wanted them to take him in and wanted him to take Castle's name. Wanted to raise him as if he was her own child. Wanted to be the one to encourage him when he was taking his first steps.

Wanted to be everything for him.

She could tell that he knew there was more behind her mood, but he said nothing. Instead he smiled at her and asked, "Are you sure that's it?"

Kate sighed loudly and told him, "Of course Rick. I'm not ready to be a mother. Not yet."

Damn. Why couldn't she admit the truth? Admit that she felt a kinship with the tiny baby currently sleeping in their guestroom upstairs. Sure, she had only lost her mom, but she knew how hard it was to lose one parent. Poor Benny had lost both of his.

She would call Social Services in the morning and see about having Benny placed with her and Castle. In the meantime, she would try and work up the courage to ask Rick about making Benny a permanent member of the Castle household.

She pulled him towards the bed and they climbed in together. Kate remained awake long after he fell asleep. She gave up trying fall asleep and walked upstairs to the room that Benny was currently sleeping in. She stood over the sleeping boy and looked down at him. He was so small. So helpless and he had no idea that he was all alone in the world. It broke her heart into tiny pieces.

Knowing that she should let him sleep, but unable to resist the pull of holding him, she gathered him in her arms and found her way to the rocking chair that Castle's mother had put in the room. She moved it closer to the window and sat down in it with Benny. He didn't stir. Except to snuggle closer into Kate's embrace.

Kate closed her eyes and fought back tears, but she knew she was unsuccessful. She wiped a tear off of her left cheek and took a deep breath. There was no way that she was ever going to be able to let him go. She was never going to be able to surrender him to strangers. People that might or might not love him unconditionally. Like she did. Like she knew Castle would. She had no idea where these feelings were coming from. Maybe it was a sign that she was ready to be a mother. It was time. Heaven knows that she wasn't getting any younger.

All she knew was that Benny belonged here. Belonged with her and Castle. Belonged with his Grandma Martha and his big sister Alexis. Of course she still had to find the courage to bring this up to Castle. Had to find a way to tell the man that she loved that she wanted to take in a baby that had lost the only parents he had ever known.

She breathed in the scent of his baby powder and lotion and it just felt right. Like this was something that she was meant to do. It was in that moment that Kate Beckett fell deep and hopelessly in love with Benny. She knew that she would never be able to surrender him. She would do whatever it took to keep this child in their home.


	2. Chapter 2

Castle woke up a short while later and was surprised to find that Kate wasn't in bed with him. He heard her singing softly on the baby monitor. It was a song that he'd never heard before, but her voice was beautiful and had him under her spell.

 _ **When love takes you home and says you belong here  
The loneliness ends and a new life begins  
When love takes you in it takes you in for good  
When love takes you in **_

He heard her whisper, "I promise you sweet one. I'll do everything that I can to keep you with us."

To say that Rick was surprised would be a major understatement. She wanted to keep Benny? Did she mean that she wanted to keep him until they found him a good home? Or did she want to adopt him? When they had found out that his parents were both murdered, Rick had the fleeting thought that they would make good parents for him. However, he had quickly dismissed that thought. There was no way that Kate would agree to keep and adopt a baby that wasn't related to either of them. Now he wasn't so sure. Could she be falling in love with baby Cosmo?

He walked into the temporary nursery and saw her sitting in the rocking chair with the baby. She had him snuggled up against her chest and her eyes were closed. He saw her kiss the top of his head so very softly. He finally heard her whisper, "Staring is still creepy Castle."

All Rick could do was walk forward and kneel beside them. He looked at her and asked, "Is he okay?"

Kate nodded, "He's fine. I just... I wanted to be close to him. I..."

Castle put his hand on the baby's tiny back and felt his tiny body move with each breath and then he looked in Kate's eyes and he saw that she had either been crying or was on the verge of crying. Either way, she was extremely emotional. So, he finally picked up the baby and walked him back over to the crib and laid him down. Then, he took her hand and walked her out of the room.

Neither of them said a word until they were in the living room. They sat together on the couch and finally Rick asked, "What's going on in that head of your Kate?"

Shaking her head, she whispered, "I'm not sure...I just..." Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and whispered, "He's all alone in the world. He doesn't even have any Aunts or Uncles. No one that can will love him and make sure that he's taken care of and not treated like a burden. Sure, we could maybe find a far off distant relative to take him in, but what kind of life would that be for him? How are they going to tell him about his mom and dad? How they fought to make sure he was safe? Is he going to be loved Rick? Or will they hate him because he's a constant reminder of his parents?"

Castle took a deep breath and told her, "I'm sure they know that he's just a baby and they will love him. I..."

Shaking her head, she told him, "I know how he feels Castle. I know how it feels to lose a mom, but he lost both of his parents. I couldn't save either of them. I failed him twice already Castle. I won't fail him a third time. I can't..."

Castle had no idea where she was going with this train of thought. He swallowed hard and took her hands in his and asked, "Talk to me Beckett. What are you wanting to do here?"

Swallowing hard, Kate finally told him, "I want to keep him Castle. I can't give him up to someone that might or might not love him. I know I'm not the best parent candidate out there, but I do know that I've come to love him and that should count for something right?"

Castle smiled and kissed her softly. Then he smiled, "It counts for a lot Kate, but there are steps that need to be taken. We need to start by talking to the CPS caseworker. You know that they aren't going to just give him to us simply because we ask."

Beckett nodded sadly, "No matter how much we want him. Do you think we stand a chance of being able to keep him? I can't imagine never seeing him again. I..."

That was when she really started crying. Actually crying would be putting it mildly. She was practically sobbing with grief and they hadn't even talk to anyone about possibly fostering and eventually adopting Benny. If they took him from them she would never recover. Sure, they would have children of their own some day, but she would always feel like she had failed him. She finally told Castle, "I want to try Rick. We can give him so much. Not only possessions, but love."

"It will probably be a long process and it won't be easy Kate."

Smiling, she told him, "Anything that's worth it never is Rick."

Kissing her softly, Rick whispered, "Are we going to do this? Is this really what you want?"

Nodding, "I do. I can't give him up."

"It's not going to be an easy road. Adoption never is Kate. And in the end, we might have to give him up. I just want you prepared in case we aren't allowed to keep him."

"They can't just take him from us Castle. It would..."

She was nearly in tears and Castle knew how she felt, but he only thought that it was fair that she understand the possible outcome. He kissed her sweetly and then smiled, "You remember what the social worker you called said Kate. That she was letting us take him simply because there were no beds available."

"And that doesn't sound like we were meant to have him Castle? We have the room and we want him."

It was in that moment that Castle knew she truly wanted Benny. The little boy had captured her heart and worked his way inside. He had a feeling that it was going to be a long road ahead of them, but he also knew that it would be worth it. Benny deserved a loving and stable home.

What neither of them could foresee was how bumpy and hard the road to being able to keep him would be. Because what should have been all about love and what was best for Benny would bring into question not only Beckett's job, but her and Castle's past.

Castle and Beckett contacted CPS the following morning to let the social worker know the outcome of the case that they had been working. She was concerned and asked Beckett, "When can I come and get him? I need to find him a suitable foster home quickly."

Beckett swallowed hard and told her, "That's actually something we wanted to discuss with you. My fiancee and I are interested in adopting him."

She was met with silence on the other end of the phone. It was so quiet that she wondered if they had gotten disconnected. She finally heard the other woman sigh and then she told Beckett, "It's highly unusual. I find that in situations like this it's best if we find the closest relative to take him in. We don't like to leave him with strangers."

Beckett bristled at being called a stranger. Benny had quickly worked his way into her heart and the little boy was smiling at them whenever they entered the room. That's when she told her, "We've done a search for his family. His mother and father were only children and both of their parents are deceased. When we did a search for Aunts or Uncles, we came up empty. There truly is no one to take him."

"Be that as it may, we still have to take custody of the child. Both you and Mister Castle knew that his placement with the two of you was only temporary until suitable foster parents could be found for him."

Beckett sighed, "Why can't we keep him with us? He is well adjusted and we have a room set up for him. I'm with the NYPD."

"You aren't registered foster parents. We have these rules for a reason. It's to protect the children that we serve and..."

"Even if it isn't in the best interests of those same children?"

"That isn't something that either you or Mister Castle can determine. That's something that is determined by me and my superiors. Now if you and Mister Castle want to become foster parents first then we can possible see about having him placed with you."

"Why do I sense a but in there somewhere?"

"But in the meantime we are going to have to remove him from your custody. We have these precautions in place for a reason and we can't allow him to remain in the custody of a non-approved home. So, when can I come and retrieve the child?"

Listening to the other woman talk on the phone, Beckett was struck by how clinical she sounded. Almost as if she were talking about a car rather than a living, breathing human being. Beckett wanted to tell her that she wasn't welcome in their home. That they were keeping him and that was that. However, she also knew that they had these rules in place for a reason. That didn't mean that she wasn't above calling in a few favors.

Beckett finally told her, "I'm going to contact my lawyer and I will call you back."

"Ms. Beckett I..."

With that, Beckett disconnected the call and went to find her fiancee. She needed to call in some favors and the best place to start was with her fiancee and his friend the Mayor. Benny's future depended on everything that she was currently doing and nothing would stop her until she was sure that they had custody of the precious baby currently sleeping in the room upstairs.

She practically ran into Castle's office and told him, "They aren't going to let us adopt him."

"Is that what she said?"

"Basically. She told me that we can apply to become foster parents. I don't want to be simply foster parents to him Rick. I want to be his permanent parents."

Thinking for a moment, Castle told her, "I'll call Bob. Maybe he can hold her off while we get our lawyer working on things."

"And what if he can't? They are going to take him away from us Castle."

"For now. Until we get approved to be foster parents."

"If we get approved. They are going to look at everything in our lives. We are going to be put under a microscope. Every person in our lives is going to be questioned and looked at with a fine tooth comb. If they find even one tiny little thing wrong, one thing that they don't like, they will deny us. I've seen it happen before Rick. I..."

Castle leaned forward and kissed her softly. He hugged her tightly and whispered, "You need to calm down Kate. Benny is still here for now. Let me make a few calls and try and sort everything out. Just don't panic."

"It's too late for that Rick. I know it's hard to believe, but I love him."

Castle smiled, "That's not so hard to believe Beckett. I've seen you with him. You're great with him. Just like you're going to be great with our own children. You are a natural born mother."

Smiling at him, Beckett wished that she had the same faith in herself that he had. Of course, his faith in her had always been absolute. Even in the darkest of days when he wasn't sure of her feelings for him, he always believed in her. Always.

She went and sat on the couch in the living room and thought about how quickly her feelings towards little Benny had changed. She went from being scared to death of touching him, to holding him in the middle of the night. Simply because she loved how right the feel of holding him felt.

After what seemed like an eternity, Castle walked out of his office. She couldn't read the look on his face and that scared her. She stood up and asked, "What did he say?"

"A lot. Not all of it is good."

"We have to give him up?"

Shaking his head, Castle told her, "I didn't say that. We do have to meet with them at their office. Our lawyer is going to meet us there." At the panicked look on her face he told her, "Don't worry. We aren't going to give him up without a damn good fight."

Beckett nodded and closed her eyes slowly. She heard Benny crying and stood up to go get him. Castle could tell that she was upset about the news, but he knew that they had to play by the rules this time. Otherwise they would never be approved for fostering him, much less adopting him. So, they would play by the rules and hope for the best. Even the mayor told him that they would have to play this one by the books. He could do a lot of things, but going around the rules for fostering and adoption wasn't one of them. He would put in a good word for them and that would be a good thing for them. They needed three recommendations and he knew that wouldn't be an issue. For now, all they needed was the assurance that they would get to keep Benny for the time being. They could work everything else out later.

Castle and Beckett arrived at the CPS office later that afternoon. They brought Benny with them in case Ms. Whitman needed to see that he was being well taken care of.

Beckett was extremely nervous waiting for the woman to make an appearance. She turned to Castle and asked, "What if they take him from us today? What if I screwed up when I was talking to her Castle? What if they use that against us and won't even consider us for fostering him? What if..."

Castle stopped her by placing a finger over her mouth. Then he whispered, "We can't go crazy with the what ifs Kate. They will drive us nuts."

They were finally called into the back and Kate carried Benny and walked beside Castle. Their attorney introduced himself and told Ms. Whitman, "It is our intention to have the infant placed with Mister Castle and Detective Beckett permanently. For now, we are seeking the status of foster parents. Soon, to be filing for adoption of said infant."

"I understand that, but he should go to a living relative. They would be best suited to raise him."

"As I understand it, there are no living relatives that could be located. Unless of course you have found someone that my clients were unable to locate."

Ms. Whitman looked away from Castle's lawyer and that was when they knew that she hadn't found anyone. She told them, "Look, this is highly unusual. The placement was only supposed to be temporary. Until we could find a suitable foster family to take him. We have that now so your services will no longer be needed."

Beckett spoke up, "What about him having someone that loves him?"

Ms. Whitman gave her a look, "I find it hard to believe that you've fallen in love with him this quickly. You've only had him for what, five days? And how much of that time was spent at work in a dangerous job that could leave him without another parent?"

Beckett shook her head, "I solved the murder of his parents and the rest of the time was spent at home with my family. Including Benny. I will make him my priority Ms. Whitman. That I can promise you."

"Well, since you and Mister Castle work together, who is going to take care of him while you are following her around. Surely you don't intend to take him to the crime scenes with you."

Beckett spoke up, "Of course not! If we get custody of him, we will make adjustments to our working arrangement."

Castle nodded and told the social worker, "I will stay home with him. Full time. I write from home and only travel on occasion."

Their lawyer spoke up, "During which time Detective Beckett can take time off of work to be with Benny. There really is no reason why my clients shouldn't be granted custody of the infant in question. It really is in his best interests. To uproot him from another home and from people that love and have been caring for him seems cruel and unnecessary. I'm sure that the agency wouldn't like the negative publicity that would come if Mister Castle's fans found out that Benny was removed from a loving a beneficial home."

Still trying to get the upper hand, Ms. Whitman brought up Castle's arrest, "Well, he does have a criminal history. He was arrested for stealing a police horse and..."

"And those charges were dropped. Look, you can keep stalling us all day, it's not going to change the fact that we have two willing and able bodied adults wanting to take care of this child. His followers will..."

"So you are trying to blackmail us into making a decision?"

"Not at all, but you should have seen the messages of support that have been posted on his fan page since the word got out about them taking in Benny. Anyone that knows him, knows that his daughter has turned out to be a beautiful, smart and well adjusted adult. And he raised her himself. From the time she was barely older than that baby Detective Beckett his holding right now. There is no reason to deny the foster application. Unless you are just trying to spite them both. In which case I will have no problem going above your head."

"There are background checks to be done and..."

"Agreed, but in the meantime, the Mayor and the Governor have personally promised that Mister Castle and Detective Beckett are upstanding citizens. Not to mention her Captain has given her a glowing recommendation. Those are three very good references Ms. Whitman."

She sighed loudly, "Fine. I will allow him to remain in their custody for the time being. I will insist on home visits to check on his well being and to make sure that the home is a safe environment for the child."

Beckett and Castle both replied, "We can agree to that!"

Ms Whitman continued, "And in addition I will require background checks on anyone that lives in the household. Including Mister Castle's mother and daughter. If everything comes out clean, I see no reason to deny their foster application. The process for adoption is harder, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it."

Standing up, their lawyer shook her hand, "Thank you. I promise you, you won't regret your decision to let him remain with Mister Castle and Detective Beckett."

Seeing Beckett with the baby, the social worker could only smile and then she nodded and told them all, "I'm sorry for putting you through the third degrees, but we only have his best interests in mind."

Castle nodded and watched Beckett with Benny. He told her, "I understand, but if you could see her with him... She's in love with him Ms. Whitman. She would protect him with her life. Just like she would protect anyone else that she loves."

The other adults in the room looked at Beckett with Benny and she had the look of a woman completely in love with that baby. Ms. Whitman had a look of awe on her face. Despite being hardened by years of working in a system that knocked her down at every turn, she knew the look of a prospective mother when she saw it. Detective Beckett had that look. It was at that moment that Ms. Whitman knew she would do whatever she could to make their dream a reality.


	3. Chapter 3

When they arrived home that night, Castle and Beckett took Benny up to his room and after they got him settled, she turned and hugged Castle tightly. She turned and left the room and when they reached the bottom step, she fell apart. Castle grabbed her in his arms and whispered, "It's okay Kate. He's here with us. Right where he belongs."

Nodding, she asked, "But for how long? How long before they decide that we don't deserve him? How long before they find someone else to take him Rick? If they look at our lives they are going to see that we are probably the furthest thing from a stable home life. Hell, I still live in my own apartment half the time. I can't get rid of it..."

"Why do you still have it Kate?"

"It's a place to hide when things get too serious here. You know me. I always have one foot out the door."

Castle shook his head, "You did at one time, but now you've changed. We are going to get married Kate. That says a lot about how..."

"Regardless, they are going to look at every little thing in our lives and we are going to be put through hell. Maybe we aren't the best parents for him Rick. Maybe he would be better off with someone else."

Looking at her, Castle couldn't believe that she was saying that. This is the same woman that, just hours ago, assured him that they were the best possible parents for him. Now, it was almost as if she was losing all hope. Shaking his head, Castle smiled, "We are the best parents ever Kate. Benny is going to grow up knowing all about how his parents tried to save him. And then we found him and gave him the most wonderful life ever. And when we have our own children, we are going to raise him alongside them. We won't treat them any different than we would Benny. Of course we might have to move to a bigger place. Even if mother moves out, but it will be fun. Raising Alexis was... challenging, but raising Benny and our future Cosmo will be amazing. And then when our daughter comes along..."

Beckett laughed at him softly, "It seems like you have all of this planned out. We aren't even married yet and I'm definitely not pregnant."

"Yet. Look Kate, I want us to have a house full of love and laughter. I want Benny to be raised in a home where he knows that he was wanted. Because even when we have our own children, he will be the child that we picked over all of the others. He won't ever doubt how much we love him."

"You really want this. Don't you?"

"I do. I just didn't know how much until you brought it up. This is all because of you."

"If they don't let us keep him I..."

"Stop with the don't thoughts. Start with the do thoughts. We are going to pass all of their tests with flying colors. And we will be the best foster parents ever. They will be begging us to adopt him."

"You think so?"

"I know so. Lets not worry about this tonight. Lets call mother and Alexis in for a family meeting. Let them know what we are going to be doing. Let them know how all of our lives are going to be changing. Because Benny is just the beginning Kate."

Smiling, Beckett nodded and kissed him softly. Never more in love with him than she was in that moment.

Everything was called into question a few months later. They had passed their background checks and their home study went by with flying colors. They got glowing approvals from CPS. However, everything nearly fell apart the night that Beckett went undercover operation with Narcotics. She went missing and she was nearly killed. It was only by a stroke of luck that she survived.

However, as is usually the case, CPS found out about it and Castle and Beckett were called into their office for a review of their case.

Ms. Whitman was once again sitting in front of them. Their lawyer was handling the talking and it was very apparent that she was not happy with what she'd heard regarding Kate's latest case.

She sat in front of them and held her hands together tightly. It was obvious that she was trying to gather her thoughts and trying to find the right words to say. She finally cleared her throat and told them, "I'm not happy with the report of the events of a few days ago. You could have been killed Katherine. Is this sort of thing normal in your line of work? Because it really calls into question our decision to place Benny in your care."

Kate shook her head, "This is not normal at all. I've never had this happen before. Look, I can promise you that it won't ever happen again."

"You're right. Because as of this moment, I'm serving you with notice. If anything and I do mean anything like this happens again I won't hesitate to remove him from your care. If you so much as get a traffic ticket he will be taken and placed with more suitable foster parents. You really need to think about what is important to you. Do you want to be an NYPD Detective or do you want to be a mother to Benny?"

That was when their lawyer spoke up, "That's unfair. Their are plenty of mothers that can and do do both. This was a once in a lifetime situation."

"Be that as it may, we have to think about Benny. And there is the simple matter of your marital status. We like our potential adopters to be in a stable, committed relationship. One that includes a husband and a wife."

"My clients are engaged to be married. Their wedding is scheduled for the springtime."

"Hmmm...I wish I could believe that. This whole thing is highly unusual. I'm going to have a chat with my supervisor and see where we go from here. And this time, no amount of bullying me will work Mister Castle. We are going to do what's best for Benny. Regardless of what you and Detective Beckett wish to happen."

When they left the CPS office that afternoon, Beckett had never felt so upset in her life. She had nearly lost her life, but that didn't compare to how her heart was breaking at that moment. They stood to lose the baby that had come to mean so much to them in the past few months. He was starting to become his own little person and even Alexis was falling in love with her baby 'brother'. In fact, she was always the first one to volunteer to watch Benny whenever it was needed.

When they got home that night, Beckett headed right up to Benny's room and stood over his crib. She had the strongest instinct to take off and run with the baby boy. To get as far away from this city as she could. She wanted nothing more to do with the CPS office and their damn rules. She wanted to be allowed to raise their baby in peace.

She felt Castle walk up behind her and she whispered, "They aren't going to let us keep him. Are they?"

Castle put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head, "She was pretty mad."

Nodding, Beckett sighed, "Yeah and it was all my fault. I should have said no to that undercover operation. I knew that it was wrong, but I let my career come ahead of my family. We can't lose him Rick..."

It was at that moment that Benny woke up. He looked up at them and smiled, then she heard him call out, "Da..."

Castle walked forward and picked him up and whispered, "That's right Benny. I'm your daddy and this is your mommy. We are your parents and we love you."

At that moment, Beckett knew what it was like to love someone unconditionally. They didn't share any of their DNA with this tiny baby boy, but she knew that she would give up her life for him. She also knew that no one was going to take him away without a fight. She made him a promise that she had every intention of keeping, "You are my baby boy and I will never let you go Benny."

That's what prompted Kate to do what she did next. She packed up a weeks worth of clothes and left Castle a note. It read:

 _ **Needed to get away for awhile.**_

 _ **Took Benny someplace safe.**_

 _ **I love you. Never forget that Castle.**_

 _ **Always,**_

 _ **Kate**_

Castle knew that she had run the second he had seen the note. She had convinced herself that they were going to take Benny from them. So, she did what she had done that summer three years ago. She had taken off to her father's cabin in the woods. He should have known it would happen. All of the signs had been there, but he had thought that she was past running. Apparently he was wrong though. Because she had taken off.

Dammit Kate. Didn't she realize that running off with Benny was exactly the wrong thing to do. If their caseworker came for a surprise visit they would lose him for sure. Double dammit. He was going to head to the cabin himself. He would be damned if he let her run away all herself. No, they were a couple now and they were in this together. If she wanted to run then she was going to have to run with him.

He threw his clothes in a suitcase and headed out the door. Leaving a brief note to his mother and daughter. Promising to call them as soon as he got to his location.

When Castle pulled up to the cabin that night, he almost turned around and headed back to the city. However, seeing Kate's car in the driveway spurred him on. He turned off the engine and took a deep breath before getting out, grabbing his suitcase and heading up to the front porch of the cabin.

Not bothering to knock, Castle used his key to open the door and saw Beckett sitting in the kitchen nursing a cup of coffee. She didn't bother to look up, she simply sighed and whispered, "You shouldn't have come here Castle."

"And what should I have done? Leave you and our son here alone. Pretend like you leaving me in the city didn't feel like it did that summer after you were shot? Act like we are nothing more than roommates? Tell me what I should have done Kate. You bring our son up here and..."

She was giving him a strange look and he finally stopped and asked, "What?"

"He's not our son Castle."

To say that he was frustrated with her at that moment would be the understatement of the year. He finally told her, "Not yet. And if you keep this up Kate they aren't going to let us adopt him. Is that what you want? Have you changed your mind? Do you want someone else to have him?"

Shaking her head, she muttered, "Of course not Castle. You know that I want him."

"Then knock it off Kate. Because running away like this is going to get him taken away from us."

"Why? We aren't allowed to go away? Are we supposed to stay locked up in the loft all the time? I brought him out here for some fresh air. That's all Castle. I..."

"Stop it Kate. I saw the note. You can lie to anyone else, but don't lie to me. You claim to love me, but you shut me out at every turn. If this is what having kids does to you Kate you can count me out. I don't even know who you are anymore. It's like you've changed and I'm not sure that it's for the better."

"How can you say that Castle?"

Castle ran his fingers through his hair and looked at her, "Just look at where we are Kate. We are in the middle of the woods in New York. Benny is sleeping in the middle of the bed instead of in his crib. If the caseworker sees this she is going to have a fit. It's..."

"I'm so sick of caseworkers and home studies and being put under the microscope over everything and anything that we do. I want to raise Benny in peace and not have to worry about every single damn thing I do or say being used against us."

Castle sighed, "We have to put up with them. At least for now Kate. Because if we don't, we aren't going to be allowed to keep him. He will go into the social service system and given to a family that might or might not love him like we do."

Kate walked over to the window and looked out into the darkness. Part of her had realized that running away to her dad's cabin had been a mistake. It was her safe place. The place she ran to when she felt overwhelmed by her hectic life. She had so many happy memories of the times she spent there with her parents. Nights spent out on the lake fishing with her dad. Picking fresh blackberries and making pies with her mom. Gathering fresh flowers and weaving them into the braids that her mom did for her.

She finally told Castle, "I just needed to get away. I was scared of them taking him away from us. I just..."

Walking up behind her, he kissed the top of her head and whispered, "It's going to be okay Kate. It's not like we left the state with him. We just took a short trip to our lake house. We needed it after what you had been through on the last case."

"That social worker hates me. I think she's just looking for a reason to take him away from us Castle. And I don't understand why. It's not like we are terrible parents or we live in a shack in the middle of the city. We can give him everything and anything he will ever want. I just don't understand her."

"She's only got his best interests at heart Kate. One day, we will look back on this and smile. We will tell Benny all about everything we did to make sure he could stay with us forever. It will be a great story one day."

She laughed harshly and shrugged her shoulders. While part of her knew that he was right, another more cynical part of her wondered if they would be allowed to keep him. If they would change their minds at the last moment. Decide that, after all the time and effort they would be forced to give him back.

Shaking her head she walked out of the cabin and walked down to the lake. She needed to get away from Castle and he knew that he wouldn't follow. Wouldn't leave Benny alone in the cabin. She let the tears roll down her cheeks and she didn't even bother to try and wipe them away. Sitting down on the dock, she watched the moonlight shimmer on the lake. Usually it helped to ease her mind, but it wasn't helping that night. It was simply making her more depressed.

She remembered the nights she spent out on the lake with her parents. Mostly with her mother. She remembered late one August night. It was right before school started for the year and Kate and Maddie had a fight. Maddie's parents had owned a neighboring cabin back then. Well, Maddie told her that they weren't friends anymore.

Kate's mom had soothed her tears and promised that fights like that between best friends was normal. They had went into the lake together and splashed each other until they were soaking wet. By the time they got back up to the house, Kate had forgotten all about her troubles.

It was at times like this that Kate wished her mother was still alive. What she wouldn't give to have her mothers shoulder to cry on once again. Her mother had always known the right things to say and the right time to say them.

Maybe it was better if they didn't adopt Benny. Kate didn't have the same way with words that her mother had had. She definitely didn't know anything about raising boys. Maybe he should go to someone that was better suited for him.

Sighing, she put her head in her hands and shook her head. That was when she heard Castle coming up behind her. She turned and smiled when she saw him carrying Benny. The boy's face broke out in a smile when he saw Kate and he held out his arms to her. She stood up and took him from Castle. She breathed in his fresh scent. Hugging him, she smiled and that was when she knew that she would never be able to give him up. She would fight with everything that she had. No one was taking their son from them without the fight of the lives.

Kate looked at her fiance and whispered, "What's he doing up?"

Smiling, he told her softly, "He woke up and I changed him. I tried playing with him, but he wanted you. Kept calling out for his mama... So, I decided to bring him out here. I figured that both of you needed it right now."

"I did. Thank you so much. How do you do this Rick?"

He looked at her funny and asked, "Do what?"

"How do you always know just how to cheer me up? No matter what happens you always know what to say or do. It never fails..."

"It's because I love you and I know just what it takes to make you happy."

"You do. And I love you for it. I'm telling you right now that I will do anything and everything that it takes to keep our son. Because despite what that woman thinks, he belongs with us. He has been our son from the moment we found him in that church. If she thinks she's going to take him and give him to someone else then she has another thing coming."

"That's the spirit. Now, lets go up to the house and have a quick dinner. Then, we will go to bed. Then, in the morning we will go to the lake. I think Benny will love it."

"I was his age when my mom and dad brought me up here the first time. I have so many memories of this place from my childhood. I want to make new memories with him Castle. With the both of you and any other children we have."

Castle simply stared at her and then swallowed hard and asked, "You want more kids?"

"I do. Why does that surprise you? I would love two or three more baby Castle's. I want it all with you. Maybe even a dog later."

"A dog? Like Royal?"

She laughed at the look on his face and nodded softly, "Yeah. Golden Retrievers are very good with children, but we might have to move out of the loft and into a bigger place. After Benny's adoption is finalized. Because if we were to move now you know what they would do."

Castle nodded, "Yeah. They would make us start this damn process all over again. More home studies to make sure the new place is deemed safe for him. And if we were to get a dog right now, well..."

"That would just give them another reason to delay everything. God! I will be so glad when this is all over and done with. I can't believe that with all the guys you know, you don't know someone that can hurry this whole thing along a little quicker."

Castle laughed, "I know a lot of guys that can do a lot of things, but unfortunately this is one thing that I don't know a guy for. It seems that this whole process is controlled by people that don't or won't hurry it along. There are so many rules."

"Which is why we have to play their game. Right?"

"Right. Look, I know it's hard, but in the end it will all be worth it. We will get to keep him with us forever."

They walked up to the house and Kate walked into the bedroom and placed Benny in the middle of the bed. She smiled down at their son and smiled, "I think we should get him a crib. You know, for when we come up here in the future. And when he is done with it we can use it for our future children."

Castle just looked down at her. For someone that wasn't a baby person, she was embracing her role as mommy. Even talking about their future children. It made him do some serious thinking. He looked at her and asked, "Marry me?"

"We are getting married Rick. Soon."

He shook his head, "That's not what I mean. Steve says that it is easier for married couples to adopt."

"That's stupid."

"I agree, but it couldn't hurt. I can have everything set up quickly. We can get our marriage license and be married by next weekend. The Hamptons is nice this time of year."

Kate pulled him out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. She sat him down at the table and took his hands. Then she looked him in the eyes and whispered, "I want that Rick. I want to walk down the aisle holding Benny and meet you at the alter. I want us to say our vows in front of our family and friends. I want to commit myself to you. I want to start our forever now."

"Are you sure? I mean don't want to pressure you into doing this and..."

Leaning forward, she kissed him sweetly and nodded, "You aren't pressuring me into anything Rick. I want this. I don't need a huge wedding. All I need is you Rick."

They woke early the next morning and Benny was all smiles. He crawled up between his parents and patted Rick on the cheek, "Da..."

Rick opened his eyes and he smiled, "Hey there Buddy." Looking over at Kate's empty spot, he asked, "Where did your mommy go off to?"

Instead of answering him, Benny only smiled. Causing Rick to smile in return. He grabbed him and peppered his belly with kisses. This caused the baby boy to giggle hysterically. Then, Castle said, "Someone's a stinky baby. We need to get you changed before we go find mommy."

Benny clapped his hands and Castle took this as him agreeing. So, he found the necessary supplies and changed his diaper. Then he dressed him in a cute outfit and they headed off in search of Kate.


	4. Chapter 4

_**First of all, I want to thank everyone for their reviews. I wasn't sure how well this story would go over since it is outside of the normal canon for the episode. The reviews truly inspire me to keep writing. Thanks again and reviews are always welcome and loved.**_

Castle made a bottle for Benny and they found her sitting on the front porch. She had a cup of coffee in one hand and a book resting on her lap. She looked up when she heard the door open and smiled when she saw them standing there.

"How is my favorite guy doing today?"

"I'm fine. How are you doing?"

Beckett smiled, "I was actually talking to Benny, but..."

"I think I should be offended."

She reached up and took Benny in her arms and leaned forward to give him a kiss. Pulling back she whispered, "I love you. Both of you."

It was at that moment that Benny squealed loudly and it caused both adults to laugh. Then, Beckett stood up and twirled him around. Bringing out even more happy squeals. Then, she peppered his cheeks and neck with kisses. Looking at him and Castle, she asked, "It's too cold to go swimming in the lake, but we can take a walk along the shore and..."

"Sounds perfect."

Once they were bundled up in coats, they headed towards the lake. Castle carried Benny and Beckett draped her arm around his waist. For a moment, it was easy to forget about everything back home. The only thing that existed in that moment were the three of them. Their tiny family was perfect and they were so very happy. She knew that this is how it should be.

The love that she felt for Benny was unlike anything she had ever known before. She loved Castle, but their love was different. She knew that she couldn't have loved him more even if he was her own son. No. This was true love. The love of a mother for her child.

Castle looked down at Beckett and for a moment he wondered if there was something wrong. Because when he looked into her eyes, he saw that they were watery and filled with tears. He took turned them back towards the cabin and once they were inside, he put Benny on the floor with his toys to play.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I..."

"Beckett...Kate...I know you better than that. Come on. This is me you're talking to."

Knowing that she couldn't hide from him any longer, she stopped trying and told him softly, "I just never thought it would be like this. Especially with a baby that isn't mine biologically. It's so easy to love him Castle, but so hard at the same time. Knowing that he isn't ours officially yet."

Turning to watch him play, Kate smiled as Benny picked up one of the building blocks that she had scattered on the floor and instead of using it to build something, he tried to shove it in his mouth.

Castle watched him and got down on the floor with him and took one of the blocks and placed it onto another one. Benny watched him, but continued to chew on the same block. She had known that he was teething for a few days now, but he hadn't shown any of the normal signs of it. Until now.

Walking into the bedroom, she picked up a picture of her mother and smiled. Then she talked to her mom in the only way she could these days. She talked to herself and hoped that her mom could hear her somehow, "I love him so much mom. And it's crazy because he's not mine. Not really. When he calls me mama, I'm not sure if he really thinks I'm his mother of if they are simply his mouth trying out the different sounds. Castle says that he knows, but sometimes I'm not so sure. How is it possible that I can love him so much? Whenever I see his smile mom, it's like the sun is shining brighter all of the sudden."

She turned and watched Benny and Castle playing in the room. Their laughter was contagious and she couldn't stop the smile from her face. Was it like this for her mom? Did she have this feeling of unconditional love? It was different from anything she had ever felt before. An all encompassing kind of love that didn't rely on biology or DNA. All that mattered was the love she felt for this tiny baby boy.

Looking back at her moms picture, she whispered, "I want to have his babies mom. So many babies. I don't want Benny to be an only child. I wan our house to be filled with the kind of laughter that our children remember forever. The kind that they seek to emulate. I want our kids to be loved like I was. Because I knew that you and dad loved me."

Beckett laughed when she saw Castle turning over on his back and Benny was crawling on his stomach. Castle was crying out for mercy and pretending like the baby was wrestling him to the ground. Both of her men were having the time of their lives. She wasn't sure who was having more fun. Castle or Benny. What was apparent was the fact that that little boy was happy and loved. So very, very loved.

The tears came freely thinking about how much she loved this little boy in such a short time. She laughed through her tears when she heard Castle cry out, "Help me! I'm being attacked by the Benny monster! Help me mommy!"

Walking into the room, she saw her boys. She grabbed her phone from her pocket and snapped a quick picture. The look on both of their faces too precious to not capture for all eternity. Benny had a look of utmost concentration on his face. When he noticed her standing in the room, he pushed off of Castle and crawled over to her quickly. He looked up at her and smiled. She gave him a watery laugh and picked him up in her arms. She smiled and told them, "I'll save you Benny."

Castle sat up and cried indignantly, "Hey! He was attacking me!"

Shrugging, she laughed, "You probably deserved it." Taking a sudden whiff of the air, she laughed, "Somebody needs a diaper change."

Castle sat up and reached for him, but Beckett shook her head, "I'll do it." Smiling at him, Beckett told him softly, "I'm hungry. Lets go into town and get something for lunch. There's a kids museum in town. I know that he's still a little young for it, but I thought it would be something fun for us to do. As a family. My mom and dad took me there every time we came here. I remember it being... Fun..."

Looking at her, Castle smiled, "That sounds like fun."

"I know it's more for us than him, but.."

"No. I get it. It's a tradition for you. I would love to continue that with you and with him."

That was when Benny started crying. Kate wasn't sure what was wrong with him, but she knew how to sooth him. Whenever he grew fussy, she would sing to him. She smiled and sang a song that her mom used to sing to her when she was little.

 _ **I get to be the one to hold your hand  
I get to be the one.  
Through birthdays and broken bones  
I'll be there to watch you grow  
I get to be the one.**_

 _ **Don't feel alone now,  
Little baby.  
Do you hear me singing you a song  
I can't wait to show you **_

_**Little Baby**_

 _ **How to crawl, how to walk, how to run**_

Benny was looking up at her and smiling. Castle was constantly amazed by the sound of her voice and how it was able to calm Benny. She was so amazing with him. Would be just as amazing with their own babies.

She looked over at him, "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready whenever you are. You have an amazing voice."

Blushing, Beckett brushed past him and carried Benny to the car and settled him into his car seat. That was when Kate told him, "I called Alexis..."

"You did? Why?"

"Well, since she had her finals this week, well, I wanted to invite her to come spend some time with us. To get to know Benny better. He is her brother and..."

"I think that's a wonderful idea Kate. When is she coming?"

"She should be here tonight. She wanted to come sooner, but Martha had something she needed help with. So..."

"Are you sure you are okay with her coming? I..."

Kate gave him a look that was a cross between disbelief and shock. How could he doubt that he wanted his daughter there with them? She was an important part of their family. She was Benny's big sister and that meant something. She shook her head, "I love Alexis, Castle. Don't ever doubt that for a second. She's your daughter and she's his big sister. I want them to be close to one another Castle. I know that we've had issues in the past, but I think we've overcome them. We are a family Castle."

Looking at the woman he loved with something akin to wonder, he smiled and nodded. Everything she said was definitely true. Beckett and Alexis had managed to get past their differences for his sake. That meant more than he could ever say. And Alexis had grown to love her baby brother.

Beckett remembered back to when they told Alexis that they were planning on adopting Benny.

 _ **Castle and Beckett had gathered in the living room in the loft the night after they had decided to adopt Benny. Beckett was incredibly nervous about telling their families. She had called her father and asked him to come over to the house. They had decided to tell all of their families together.**_

 _ **Beckett was worried about their reactions. Would her father understand why she wanted to adopt Benny? Would he thing that she was getting in over her head? Or would he be thrilled to finally become a grandfather?**_

 _ **She had a feeling that he would love Benny once he got to know him, but she wasn't totally sure. So, she and Castle decided to tell them together. They would present a united front and answer their questions together.**_

 _ **They had wine and cheese sitting on the coffee table. Beckett hugged her dad and smiled as he went to sit down next to Martha. Their parents had formed a fast friendship after the disaster that was their first family dinner. They had even met for coffee on a few occasions. It was strange to think that they got along so well.**_

 _ **Benny was upstairs and Castle nodded and turned to head upstairs to get him. Beckett sat down and her father asked, "Is there something wrong Katie?"**_

 _ **Alexis asked, "You and dad aren't breaking up are you? Because that would really suck and..."**_

 _ **Beckett laughed and shook her head, "No, we aren't breaking up, but we do have something major to talk to everyone about. Look, there's no easy way to say this, but..." Looking at Alexis, she continued, "Do you remember Benny? The baby that we were looking for his parents."**_

" _ **Yeah. He was so cute. Did you find them?"**_

 _ **Kate sighed and nodded, "Yeah, but by the time we found them it was too late. They were both killed by someone wanting to fix the lottery."**_

" _ **That's terrible Katie. What's going to happen to him? Is he going to go with child services?"**_

" _ **Well, that's what we wanted to talk to everyone about. Look, Rick and I talked about it and, well we fell in love with him and we want to make him a permanent member of our family. I know it's a shock. Especially to you Alexis. Since you've been an only child for so long. I..."**_

 _ **Castle walked into the room then carrying the baby. Alexis immediately rose and walked over to her father. She took one look at the baby and hugged her dad tightly. Then she took Benny from his arms and kissed him on the top of his head. She looked at her dad and Beckett and told them, "I'm honored to have him as a brother. He's going to have the best dad and mom in the world."**_

" _ **You're okay with this Pumpkin? I know it's sudden, but..."**_

 _ **Alexis laughed, "Are you kidding? I've been wanting a brother or sister since I was six. Don't you remember me asking you for a baby for Christmas? And when you got me a baby doll I threw it in the trash."**_

 _ **Laughing, Castle nodded and hugged his daughter. This caused Benny to let out a squeak and Castle laughed at the baby. Alexis went to sit down with him and smiled.**_

 _ **Kate looked at her dad and asked, "What do you think about this dad?"**_

 _ **Her father was unusually quiet. He asked her softly, "Do you think it's wise?"**_

" _ **Do I think what's wise?"**_

 _ **Looking at Rick and then at his daughter, he started again, "Do you think it's wise taking in another couple's baby? I mean the two of you aren't even married yet. Bringing a baby into a relationship, regardless of whether you are their natural parent is hard. You don't know anything about this baby's parents and he lost them so young Katie."**_

" _ **He needs us dad and I love him so much. We both do. And we've done hard before. I nearly died and I overcame that. We are getting married soon and..."**_

 _ **Castle could tell that Beckett was getting overwhelmed by her fathers questions. So, he motioned for his mother and Alexis to follow him out of the room. Leaving Kate and her father alone. She looked at her dad and said, "I'm not asking you for permission dad. I'm telling you the way that it's going to be. You can either accept the fact that he is going to be your grandson, or..." Swallowing hard, she continued, "Or you can't. Once you get to know him dad, I promise you will love him."**_

 _ **Castle brought the baby into the room at that point and looked at Jim Beckett. He held out the baby to his soon to be father-in-law. He said a silent prayer that he wouldn't disappoint his daughter. Beckett had fallen deeply in love with him and her father's approval meant the world to her.**_

 _ **After a few brief moments, Jim finally reached out and took the baby. The little boy was his usual charming self and looked up at his grandfather with the biggest smile on his adorable little face. Any negative thoughts that Jim Beckett had vanished the moment that Benny smiled at him.**_

 _ **Benny spit up and Kate went to take him, but was waved off by her father. He simply picked up a napkin and wiped off his jacket. He talked to the little boy softly and Castle went to take him back, but Jim shook his head.**_

 _ **It was that moment that Kate knew her dad was on board with them adopting Benny.**_

Since that moment, her father had been a constant figure in their house. He said that he was simply in the neighborhood, but Kate knew the truth. Her father was coming to see his grandson. He always brought a new toy or stuffed animal for his grandson. It was everything she wanted and nothing that she had ever hoped for. Her dad was a wonderful father and he was proving to be the best grandfather that she could have hoped for for Benny. She wouldn't have traded their life now for anything in the world.

The most surprising thing for Kate was what Alexis did. After her father left that night, Alexis and Kate were alone in the kitchen together. Alexis looked nervous. Almost like she wanted to talk to her about something. So, Kate turned to Alexis and asked, "Is everything okay?"

Alexis nodded and then she bit her bottom lip. She turned and ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Leaving Kate to wonder what on earth was going on. She heard Alexis' footsteps and a few seconds later she was back in the kitchen. She was holding something in her hands. It was a small stuffed monkey.

She held it out to Kate and told her, "I want to give this to Benny. He has no one and well..." Alexis swallowed hard, "Monkey Bunky helped me feel safe when I was little. I...well, I want to give it to him. To my brother."

Smiling, Kate rushed forward to hug Alexis. She knew how important this stuffed Monkey had meant to her. Giving it to Benny showed that she was accepting him as her brother and as a member of their family. Kate had never loved her stepdaughter more than she did at that moment.

Alexis had volunteered to watch him on numerous occasions. Sometimes before they even asked. One time she had practically forced them out of the loft. It had been date night, but Kate was hesitant to leave Benny. He had been extremely fussy that day and neither Castle or Kate wanted to leave him. Alexis had insisted that they would be fine.

Sure enough, when they got home that night Benny was sound asleep and Alexis was studying on the couch. Kate sat down beside her and asked, "How was he tonight?"

"He was perfect as usual. I think he's getting another tooth though. I gave him some tylenol and one of his teething toys. He finally calmed down. He even helped me study for my chemistry test tomorrow. He's going to be a smart one. If I do say so myself."

Kate laughed softly, "Thank you for watching him tonight."

"You don't have to thank me Kate. He's my brother. I'm happy to do it."

Kate hugged her tightly, then she stood up and headed to their bedroom. She undressed and showered. Then she walked upstairs to check on Benny. She smiled when she saw that he was hugging Monkey Bunky tightly. It was obvious that the little boy loved that stuffed animal just as much as Alexis had before him.

She was in the middle of her thoughts when she heard the door open. She turned and saw Alexis coming into the cabin. Benny noticed his big sister and started squealing loudly. Waving his hands in the arm and crawling over to his sister. Alexis bent down and picked him up. Giving him kisses on his neck Alexis asked, "Did you miss me? I bet you did! I sure missed you! The loft was so quiet without you guys there."

Alexis walked over and hugged her father and then she turned and hugged Kate. Surprising the older woman for a split second. Then she realized how right it felt.

It made her realize everything she had almost lost when she had taken that undercover assignment. She could have been killed. Benny would have been taken from Castle and given to strangers.

Kate smiled at Alexis and she headed into the kitchen to join Castle. Their little family was together again and it felt so good. Kate was glad that she'd invited her stepdaughter to join them.

Turning around, she saw Alexis putting Benny in his high chair. She took out a box of cereal and put some on the tray for him to eat. He had only recently started eating solid foods, but the little boy was fast becoming a pro at it. Beckett smiled as she watched Alexis interact with Benny.

Castle walked up behind her and kissed her softly on the neck. Then he whispered, "She is so good with him."

Nodding, Beckett laughed, "Yeah. I can just imagine how she will be with her own children."

Beckett heard him choke and then he mumbled, "Not funny."

"It's a little funny. Admit it Castle."

Shaking his head, he told her, "It's not. My baby girl isn't going to have her own baby until she's fifty."

Turning around to look at him, she whispered, "Does that mean I have to wait until I'm fifty before we can have more children?"

"Is this one of those trick questions? You know, one of those that's going to have you sleeping at your old place and me wondering how to make it up to you."

Shaking her head, she smiled and whispered into his ear, "I'm just thinking that I'd really like to give Benny a baby brother or sister."

"You do?"

"Why do you sound so surprised Castle?"

"I just figured that we had enough going on with Benny that you would want to wait a few years before.."

Shaking her head, she whispered softly, "I don't want to wait a few years Castle. I want to fill our house with little Castle babies. Maybe a little girl. Benny would be a great big brother. And they would be close in age."

Castle moved away from her and for a moment she wondered if she had said something wrong. He turned and looked away from her. She saw his shoulders moving up and down and she knew that there was something going on in that big brain of his. So, she walked over to him and put her hands around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder. Then she asked, "What's wrong?"

Castle shook his head and then whispered, "Nothing. Not really anyways."

She turned him around and put her hands on his shoulder and looked him right in the eyes. Then, she asked him, "Does the thought of me having a baby, your baby, upset you that much?"

Castle shook his head hard and closed his eyes. She knew he was working through something, but she had no idea what it was.

For his part, Castle was having a hard time believing that they were talking about this. Benny was still so young and it was hard to see them with two little ones. However, he could sense that this was important to her. So, he decided to confide in her. He smiled and told her, "I'm just worried that it will be too much for you Kate. I mean we've only had Benny for a few months and..."

"And I want it all. I want more. Having Benny has made me realize that having a little baby around isn't quite as scary as I used to think. I think..." She paused and looked deep into his eyes, "No, I know that I want more. I want to experience the whole package. The morning sickness. Feeling our baby kick for the first time. I want it all Castle. I want to feel the magic of it all. Even if it is a lot of work. After all, all of the best things usually are. Right?"

Castle looked at the woman he loved and a huge smile popped onto his face. Then he asked, "How soon are we talking about here? This isn't your roundabout way of telling me that you're pregnant is it?"

Laughing, Beckett shook her head, "No. I was just wondering if it was something you wanted. Because I know that I do."

"I want it also. I've wanted it for longer than I've been willing to admit." Then, he looked at her and asked, "Marry me Kate."

"We are getting married Rick."

Shaking his head, he whispered, "No. I mean, marry me tomorrow. We can call Lanie and the boys and have them meet us in the Hamptons."

"It will take forever to set everything up Castle. I..."

Shaking his head, "I know a guy that can set it up in no time. Plus, it will look good if we are married when we go in front of the judge to finalize Benny's adoption. They always like married couples more for some reason."

"Has your attorney said something about..."

Shaking his head, Castle eased her fears, "No, but I've been reading up on it. I just wanted to be prepared. Just in case."

Kate looked deep into his eyes and then looked at him with tears in her eyes. She shook her head and practically ran out of the kitchen and into the woods surrounding the cabin. Leaving Castle wondering what the hell was wrong now.

Castle turned and looked at Alexis and Benny and told his daughter, "I'll be back. Can you watch him for us?"

Alexis nodded and motioned towards the door, "Go after her dad."

Castle didn't need to be told twice. He took off after her and finally saw her sitting on the dock by the lake. When he got closer to her, he could tell that she was crying. Her shoulders were shaking and she had her face in her hands. He was silent when he said, "Are you going to tell me what that was all about Kate? Do you not want to marry me? Is that it? Has this all been for nothing? Should I just take my ring back and forget everything that we've been working to build here together. Because if you aren't going to talk to me than I..."

She turned to face him and shook her head, "It's not that Castle. I..."

"Then tell me what this is all about. Because I'm so damn confused right now."

"I can't Castle."

With that, Castle threw up his hands and walked away from her. Fine. She didn't want to talk then he wasn't going to force her. He looked back over his shoulder and told her, "Come find me when you're ready to talk about it Beckett."

Castle needed to walk off some of the anger, so, he headed deep into the woods.


	5. Chapter 5

After awhile, Beckett decided that it was time to go back into the house. Of course she wanted to marry Castle. The reason for her earlier tears was simply because she wished that her mother was there for all of this. From picking out the dress to helping to address the invitations. Sure, if they had a small wedding, there probably wouldn't be much that she would need help with, but she had always imagined having her mom there to help with everything.

She wasn't upset at Castle. She just didn't know how to give voice to everything that was bothering her. He would probably think it was stupid. Hell, she even thought it was stupid. She had a man that loved her and was willing to marry her whenever she wanted and here she was crying for something that could never be. So, she marched back up to the house and walked inside.

The cabin was completely quiet. She walked into the living room and saw Alexis holding Benny and both of them were sound asleep. Smiling, she reached down and picked her son up. Watching as Alexis started when she felt his weight missing.

Alexis mumbled through her sleep laden voice, "I.. I thought he was falling."

"Nope. I'm just going to put him in the playpen. It's more comfortable for both of you."

Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Alexis asked, "Is everything okay with you and dad? You've both been gone for a long time."

Beckett was confused for a moment. She was sure that Castle had come back to the cabin. Looking around however, she realized that he hadn't come back. She looked at her stepdaughter and motioned for her to stay, "I'll be right back."

Alexis nodded and watched as Kate left again. She called out to Castle, but he was nowhere to be found. She finally stumbled up an old fishing shack. It was where she and her dad would spend winters fishing. Instead of going out on the cold lake, her father would cut a hole in the ice and they would pretend that fishing was all that they were interested in doing. Instead, it was a place where Kate and her father were able to connect like father and daughter. He would ask her about her latest school projects. Most of the time they talked about nothing special.

Kate found Castle sitting in the little shack. She sat down beside him and asked, "Are you okay?"

Shrugging his shoulders she heard him say, "I don't really have a choice. Do I?"

Reaching over to take his hand, she gave it a soft squeeze. Then she told him, "I'm sorry Castle."

"For what? Not wanting to marry me or getting my hopes up that you do?"

Beckett sighed, "I want to marry you Castle. So very badly..."

"But not badly enough to do it now."

How did she make him understand that she wanted this? Wanted a life with him. She wanted there forever. She wanted to marry her one and done. She took his hands in hers and gave them a quick squeeze. He looked at her and she couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face. She whispered softly to him, "Please don't think that what happened back there had anything to do with me not wanting to marry you so very badly."

"You were crying Kate. I..."

"I was only crying because I know that my mom would have love being there for all of this. She would have loved you and she would have loved Benny. I miss her so much Castle. I..."

That was when she broke down crying in his arms. Huge sobs that seemed to engulf her whole body. Castle held her and rubbed her back softly. Whispering words of comfort to her while she cried.

She finally finished after about ten minutes and he looked at her and asked, "Better?"

Beckett shrugged, "Not really...but I will be."

"Ready to go back to the cabin? Seeing Benny will make you feel better."

Smiling sadly and him, she stood up and reached for his hand. Then she turned and kissed him softly. It never failed to amaze her how much she loved this man. How he could always make her feel better by simply being there for her when she needed him.

When they got back to the cabin, Alexis was laying on the bed beside Benny and she had her arm around her brother protectively. Kate picked up her cell phone and snapped a picture. This was one picture that she was going to treasure forever.

Meanwhile, the social worker was looking for them and she wasn't happy that she couldn't find them for an unannounced visit. Martha had assured her that they were safe. That they were just on vacation, but the woman wasn't satisfied. She insisted on knowing their exact location. Martha had given her the address of the cabin and called Castle. When he picked up the phone, he heard his mother rambling on about Benny. That was about all he could understand.

He finally told his mother, "Can you slow down mother? I can't understand a word you're saying when you talk that fast."

He heard his mother take a deep breath and then she said, "The social worker was here. She dropped by for an unannounced visit. She was not happy when I told her that you weren't here. She insisted on knowing where you were."

"What did you tell her mother?"

"The truth. I gave her the address of the cabin and she told me that she was heading up that way tomorrow."

"Okay. We will be fine. Thank you Mother."

"Don't worry Richard. Everything will be fine."

Somehow Castle doubted it. They weren't exactly prohibited from taking trips without permission, but it was strongly frowned upon. They wanted to manage every aspect of their life. Kate was going to make sure that this surprise visit turned out well.

They cleaned the entire cabin that night. Castle made sure that everything was spotless and that included Benny.

They were ready for the social worker the following morning. She arrived at about ten thirty and to say that she didn't look happy would have been a major understatement. She looked livid. When she knocked on the door, Castle opened it and said, "Welcome to our little home Ms. Whitman. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee or tea?"

The woman shook her head, "Save the small talk Mister Castle. I think we all know why I'm here. You weren't at home when I tried to conduct a surprise visit. You do know that's grounds for having your adoption application revoked. Correct?"

Castle heard Kate let out a hurt squeak, but she said nothing. Smiling at the social worker he told her, "Our family came up here for a vacation. Surely there's nothing wrong with that."

Ms. Whitman watched at Benny and Alexis played with the blocks that were scattered on the bearskin rug near the fireplace. She had to admit that the boy certainly appeared happy and well taken care of. However, that didn't excuse the fact that they took off in the middle of the adoption process and didn't let her know.

"Be that as it may, I am going to have to talk to my superiors and see if this is allowed."

"What are they going to say? That a family can't go on vacation together? That we have to stay strapped to our loft and never see the light of day."

"I don't like your tone of voice Mister Castle. I'm tempted to remove him from this home immediately and recommend that he go to another family."

Castle had had enough of this woman's attitude. It was time he put her in her place. And he knew the perfect way to do it. It all started with his fan site. So, he told her, "If you remove him, I will have your office flooded with angry calls and letters."

"From who?"

"Well, I can think of at least a few thousand of my fans. You do remember that I am a best selling author? Oh and before you even think of removing him from our family, you can contact our attorney."

"I could have him removed simply because the two of you aren't married. You do remember be telling you that the courts prefer married couples. I can make sure you are denied on that fact alone."

Castle was the wrong person for this woman to bully. He looked her straight in the eyes and told her, "Well, not that it's any of your concern, but Kate and I are getting married. Next week in fact."

"You are?"

That was when Kate stepped up and told the woman, "Yes. We are. We are getting married in the Hamptons. Will it be okay for us to take Benny with us or will we have to get it in writing and signed in blood also?"

"There's no need to get snarky Mister Castle."

"Isn't there? Look, I don't mean to be rude, but we are here to spend time with our family. As you can see there is no plan to run away and hide. Both Benny and my daughter are here. We will be here until the end of the week. If that's okay with you that is."

Ms. Whitman didn't like his tone of voice, but decided to let it slide. She had to admit that the cabin was very clean. Not at all like she was picturing in her head on the drive up here. Maybe she was being a bit harsh on the couple. They were definitely doing everything they could to make sure that they adoption went through. She nodded, "Yes. That's fine. Just make sure you let me know the next time you take a lengthy trip out of the city. Are you planning on taking a honeymoon?"

Castle and Beckett look at her and nod. Then Castle told her, "Not anytime soon. Maybe after the adoption goes through."

Nodding, Ms. Whitman took one last look at the small family and decided that maybe this was one of the easy ones. They weren't doing this for publicity. They loved this little boy and he seemed to fit well with their family. She knew then that she intended to give the go ahead for Benny being adopted into this household.

She smiled and thanked them as she headed back to her car. She saw so many difficult things in her line of work, but this seemed to be a success story. Hopefully there would be more of these, but she wasn't too hopeful. There were thousands of children waiting to be adopted and not nearly enough parents wanting to adopt. Everyone wanted to adopt babies, but very few people wanted to adopt toddlers or older children.

Watching her leave, Beckett smiled when she heard Benny laughing behind her. Alexis was making funny faces at her. He would giggle and then throw his head back. Which cause Alexis to laugh and it would start all over again. Seeing her children interacting with one another made her smile. She remembers having times like this with her parents. Times of pure joy and happiness. Times that she had tried to forget about. Simply because they hurt too much to remember. Now, she was starting to see that remembering didn't have to hurt. It could be a good thing. A great thing.

The rest of their trip went wonderfully. They spent time walking by the lake. Staring out at the water and Beckett even managed to rent a boat and take them out on the lake. Benny looked so cute in the mini life vest that Castle had bought. It had pictures of whales and dolphins on it and was a light blue color. On top of that, Castle had bought him a tiny little sailors hat.


	6. Chapter 6

After the week was over, they were packing up to return back home. Kate could honestly say that she wasn't ready to leave yet. When she had mentioned that to Castle, he reminded her that they had to get back home. Reminded her that they had a wedding to plan for.

They had decided to get married in May. In the Hamptons. With all of their family in friends in attendance. Then, shortly afterwards, Benny's adoption would be finalized.

However, before either of those could happen Castle and Beckett's world would be turned upside down. Possibly forever.

It happened when Castle was on the way to the wedding. Beckett received a call and she rushed to the scene of the crash. She felt as if she was in that car with him. She honestly wanted to be in the car with him. Because as bad as her mother's death had been, watching the car burn with Castle possibly inside was so much worse. He was the love of her life. Her one and done. She would never find another love.

He was Benny and Alexis' father. And the father of... She couldn't think about that right now. It hurt too much to think about it. No. It was best if she focus on what she did best. Looking for her missing fiance.

However, that was easier said that done. There were absolutely no clues whatsoever. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air. The worst part was the news she had gotten a few days before he went missing. At the time, she had thought that it was wonderful news, but in the days following Castle's disappearance, it was devastating.

Two months. Castle had been missing for two long, lonely months. Months that left Beckett wondering if she would ever see him again. Months that she spent searching for him. Months that were some of the hardest of her life. Due to Castle going missing, Benny's adoption was thrown into jeopardy. So, her father had gone to bat for them. Ms Whitman ended up being reprimanded because of her obvious bias against Kate and Rick not being married. She knew that she would never be able to thank her father for everything he did for her.

She had shown up at the loft the morning after Castle had gone missing. She and Kate had strong words. Luckily, Espo and Ryan were both there and they called the CPS offices and spoke with the supervisor. He spoke with Ms Whitman and she was immediately removed from the case. The new caseworker told Kate in confidence that Ms Whitman had been scolded about her tactics several times in the past. Apparently, she had wanted to adopt a baby for years now, but was denied because she was unmarried and her past history was spotty. So, she held a grudge against all unmarried couples wanting to adopt or foster children.

Martha gave up a good amount of her time to stay home with Benny when Kate couldn't be there. Even Alexis had pitched in to watch her little brother.

Beckett still had custody of him, but she insisted on waiting until Castle was back to adopt him also. Because despite there not being any signs of him, Beckett was still convinced that Castle was coming home to them. To all the them. She needed him home. She couldn't do all of this without him.

Benny turned one on the day that Castle reappeared. He was found in a fishing boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. When Ryan told her that they had found him, her heart had stopped for a moment. She wondered if they had found his body. If he was dead. Then Ryan told her that he was in the hospital. Her whole world became new again. She rushed there and into his room.

She leaned down and took his hand. Calling his name, he didn't move. Didn't wake up. She took his hand and then she whispered, "I need you to come back to me Castle. Need you to come back to us."

Nothing happened. Despite her wishing for him to wake up, he remained still. She put a hand on her rounded stomach and a tear slipped out of her closed eyes. She needed him to wake up. Needed him to realize that she still loved him and wanted him. Still wanted to marry him despite him going missing on their wedding day.

When Alexis and Martha rushed in wanting to see him. However, for whatever reason, his eyes remained closed.

Kate remained at his beside for the next twelve hours. Hours that she wondered if he was ever going to come back to them. She sat by his bedside and held his hand. Telling him all about what happened during his missing two months. Waiting to tell him the important news when he woke up. Something she should have told him when she found out the day before they were to be married. She had made the foolish decision to wait until their wedding night.

Now however, she wished that she would have told him. Maybe that would have given him a reason to come home to her before now. She knew that she couldn't second guess every decision she had made since that day. No. She would have to hope that he would understand why she had chosen to wait to tell her until they were married.

Her reasons seemed petty now, but she wanted to wait until their wedding night to tell Castle that he was going to be a father again. Then she had been planning on telling Alexis and Martha. Planned on him being the first, besides her, to know about the newest member of their family. However, her plans had fallen through and she'd been forced to tell Alexis and Martha first.

She had tried to wait for as long as possible. However, when Martha found her hunched over the garbage can one morning losing the contents of her stomach, she had been forced to come clean. Martha had held her hand while she told Alexis.

Of course, Alexis was thrilled with the news about their newest addition to their family. They all wished that Castle was there to share the news with them.

Benny took Castle's disappearance the hardest however. He didn't understand where his father had gone. Why he was there one day and then gone the next. Their son had been so very fussy over the past few months. Kate had taken so much time off to look for her missing partner and to spend time with Benny. Sitting beside his bedside, she just wanted him to wake up.

Sighing, she leaned down and kissed his cheek. Then she whispered in his ear, "You're going to be a daddy again Castle. I'm pregnant. So. You need to wake up and get out of this hospital bed and come back to us. Benny needs us Castle. I need you. Our baby needs you..."

Unfortunately, all of Beckett's pleading did nothing to wake him up. He remained asleep and her tears ran down her face.

Sighing, she got up and went to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror, she shook her head. When she was done, she walked back into his room and saw that he was starting to wake up. His head was thrashing side to side and he was mumbling her name.

Beckett sat down beside him and took his hand. She smoothed her hand over his forehead and whispered, "I'm here Castle."

His eyes opened and he looked at her and whispered, "You're here..."

Smiling, she whispered, "There's no place that I would rather be Castle. Right here. Beside you."

Castle coughed and she gave him some water. He looked at her, "They told me that you were dead. Said that you had been killed in the car crash. Said that I needed to help them and avenge your death. They...They lied to me..."

Nodding, Beckett took his hand and ran her fingers over his knuckles. Then she leaned down and kissed him softly. Whispering, "They did, but...I don't want to lie to you. Never have and never will."

"I know."

"Did you hear anything I said while you were out?"

Castle whispered, "Did you say that we are having another baby?"

Smiling, Beckett whispered, "Yes. I found out the day before the wedding. I was going to tell you, but..."

"But I went missing. So, how far along are you? Six weeks?"

Beckett gave him a funny look and finally told him, "You've been missing for two months Rick. I'm almost four months pregnant. I'm due in February. "

Shaking his head slowly, he whispered, "I... I've been gone for two months? I don't remember..."

Kate leaned down and put her forehead on his and whispered, "It's okay Rick. We will get through this. Together."

"How, how can you forgive me? I left you. For two months and..."

Smiling, she told him, "Always means always Rick. It doesn't mean only when times are good. Or when everything is going great. It means through the good times and the bad. It means always and forever Rick."

That was when Rick remembered something important. He looked at her and asked, "Did they take Benny away from us? Did we lose him Kate?"

Kate noticed that panicked look on his face and she shook her head, "No Rick. He's at home with Martha and Alexis."

"His adoption?"

"They postponed it until later. I had to hire a high profile attorney. Ms. Whitman started playing hardball. She threatened to take him away from me. From us. So..."

"So?"

"So, I had my father recommend the best attorney in the state of New York. Lets just say that between us we managed to delay his adoption and he was placed with me until you came home to us Rick. I knew you were coming home to us, so..I insisted that they wait until you came home. They replaced that other _**woman**_ with someone that we can talk to. Someone will work with us. He's missed you Rick. Missed his daddy."

The word woman was said with such disdain, that Castle wondered what had happened while he was gone.

However, Kate could tell that he wasn't up for talking right then and there. She was proven right when Castle said, "I'm so tired Kate..."

Leaning down, she kissed his forehead and whispered, "Sleep Rick. I'll be here waiting for you when you wake up."

Nodding, he whispered, "Love you..."

She kissed his hand and nodded, "I love you too Castle. So, so much..."

Picking up her phone she called Alexis to let her know that Castle was awake. She asked them to bring Benny with them this time. Now that he was awake, Kate wanted him to see his daddy again.

Sitting beside his bed, Kate put her hand on her stomach and for the first time, she felt their unborn baby move inside her. It was as if their unborn baby knew that his or her daddy had come back to them. Kate closed her eyes and let the tears fall from her eyes. She might not have any answers, but she would get them. Eventually. Today was a day to be glad that she had the love of her life back. Somehow, that was enough for now.

When Castle woke that evening, Benny was laying in the bed beside him. He was patting Castle on the stomach. It was almost as if the boy knew that his father was back for good.

Beckett had tears in her eyes watching her boys together. She leaned down and kissed the top of Castle's head and whispered, "Do you remember anything about where you were yet Castle?"

Shaking his head, Kate noticed the tears in his eyes. She knew that he was broken up about not being able to remember what happened during the time that he was missing. There had to be some kind of answer, but Kate couldn't find it. She had been over everything a million times, but nothing made any kind of sense. So, she decided that she would put it on the back burner until later.

Castle was released from the hospital later the next day. He walked into the loft and they put Benny to bed. The boy was practically clinging to Castle and it took forever to put him to bed. Beckett knew that he was afraid that his father would go missing again. So Castle sat beside his crib for the longest time that night. Until he was finally sure that Benny was finally asleep for the night.

Walking into their bedroom, Castle saw that Beckett had fallen asleep waiting for him to come to bed. She was sleeping on top of the covers and had her left hand draped over her stomach. It was then that he noticed her rounded stomach for the first time. He sat down on the bed and moved her hand away gently. He lifted up her blouse and put his hand on her stomach. Then, he leaned down and whispered, "This is so much more than I deserve. I don't deserve you or your mother. She should hate me. I keep expecting her to tell me that she's had enough and that she's leaving me. I don't know how I will ever be able to make it up to her. Up to you. I don't even know what I did or who took me, but..." Castle took a deep breath and swallowed hard. Then he continued, "I will work hard to be the kind of man, the kind of husband and father that both you and Benny can be proud of. That she can be proud of."

Castle didn't realize it, but Beckett heard everything and she had to fight to keep still and act like she didn't hear him whispering to their unborn baby. She wanted to cry at the utter defeat that she heard in his voice. He felt as if he wasn't worthy of her love any longer.

She couldn't stand listening to the defeat in his voice. So, she opened her eyes and laid her hand on his cheek and whispered, "You didn't do anything wrong Castle. It wasn't your fault."

Shaking his head, he told her softly, "You can't know that. I..."

"I know you Castle. You would never leave us. You would never leave your family."

Kissing her stomach, he laid his head down on the place where their baby was currently resting. He just laid there and drank in her presence. He whispered softly, "I wish I knew where I was. What made me leave everything and everyone I love behind."

Beckett let her hands run through his hair and she whispered, "We will figure it out one day Castle. For now, I'm just glad to have the father of my children back home. Where he belongs. We can figure everything else out later."

Castle kissed her stomach one last time and then climbed up to lay beside her. Holding her while he wondered what he had done to deserve this wonderful woman that had fallen in love with him. He knew that he would spend the rest of his life making this up to her. Nothing else mattered to him. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Besides Alexis and Benny and now the baby she was carrying. Their life was nothing short of perfect. Castle wasn't sure what he'd done to deserve the love of this incredible woman.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Okay, just know that this story will have a happy ending and this part of the story is why it's labeled as angst. Please take note and grab some tissues.**_

Beckett remained awake long after Castle had fallen asleep. Part of her was afraid that he would disappear again. Even though she knew that was impossible, he had been gone for two long, lonely months. Months that she wasn't sure if she would ever see him again. Months of worrying and wondering if she would be left to raise their children alone.

When the time went on and there was no sign of him, she wondered if she should just go ahead and adopt Benny herself. She knew that was what Castle would have wanted. He wanted Benny to have a family and Kate could give that to him. During the times when she was stronger, she told herself to wait. That Castle would come back to them. That he would be there to sign the adoption papers with her.

Alexis had been a huge help during the time he was missing. She was there to remind Kate that her dad wouldn't leave willingly. Was there to help with Benny when Kate couldn't miss work.

There had been moments when she had wanted to give up. Moments when she wondered if she would ever see the man that she loved again. Moments when, it hurt too much to go on without him. It was in those moments that she knew she had to go on. For Benny and for the baby she carried beneath her heart. If that was Castle's final gift to her, the gift of a baby to love, there was no way she would take a chance of losing the last remaining piece of him. The last remaining piece of what they had together.

The first time she had heard their baby's heartbeat had been a bittersweet time for Kate. She hadn't wanted the doctor to let her hear it, but Alexis had insisted. Insisted that she needed to hear it for herself. Needed to hear that her baby brother or sister was, in fact, growing and thriving. So despite how much it killed her, she gave her go ahead to her doctor when she asked about hearing the baby's heartbeat.

Castle should have been there for it. Should have been right beside her holding her hand. Kissing away her tears as they heard the sound of the miracle that they had created together. Instead, she was left with a hollow feeling. Wanting so much to have Castle there with her. Afraid that she never would.

Now that he was here beside her, she smiled as she reached into her dresser and took out a little machine. Alexis had brought it to her late one night. Had told Kate that she thought it would help her feel closer to the baby growing inside her and help her to maybe not miss her dad so much.

She hadn't been able to use it. At least not until late one night about a month after Castle had gone missing. She had pressed the wand to her stomach and turned on the device. The steady thump, thump, thump that filled the room brought tears to her eyes. She cried harder that night that she had since her mother had been killed all those years ago. Cried for the man that she had loved and now lost. Cried for the baby that would never know his father.

That night was the first time that she allowed herself to imagine the sex of the baby. Up until then, she hadn't really given it much thought one way or the other. If she was truthful with herself, she hadn't really cared. This was supposed to be a happy occasion, but it was turning into something depressing. She wanted Castle there with her. Wanted him there when his son came into the world. His son. If they never found him, she knew that she would name her child after his father.

Because for all of his faults, Richard Castle was the most wonderful man she had ever had the honor of knowing and loving. Her life had been changed forever the moment she had walked into his book launch party.

Now, though, laying in bed with Castle she turned on the machine and let the sound of their baby's heartbeat fill the room. The look on Castle's face was one of wonder and surprise. Then, he leaned over and gave her the softest kiss ever and whispered, "That's our baby?"

Kate nodded with tears in her eyes and she let him kiss his way down to her stomach. He took the machine from her and planted the softest kiss on her stomach and then he whispered to their baby, "Daddy's here little one. And he loves you so much. I can't wait to meet you. I hope you look just like your mommy. And I hope that you have her sense of adventure."

Beckett laughed and ran her fingers through his hair and told him, "I hope he has your nose."

Pulling back from her, he laughed, "Why would you want him to have my nose? It's..."

"Because then he will look just as ruggedly handsome as his father."

Castle could only stare at her. Then, he leaned forward and kissed her so very, very softly. He loved her so much. His only regret was that they hadn't made it to the alter. He would do anything to change that. The sooner the better. He just needed to prove to her that she could trust him again. He wanted to find out about those missing months, but not if it meant bringing up all of those terrible memories for her. No. He would wait until she was more secure in their relationship. Nothing was more important to him.

For now, he would work on proving his love to her. Proving that she could trust him. Prove that he was still in this for the long haul.

Castle smiled as he took her hand and pulled her towards him. He laid down with her and whispered, "I promise you, I will make this up to you. We will be married. I want nothing more than to make you my wife."

Smiling at Castle she whispered, "And I want nothing more than to make you my husband."

Laughing, Castle asked, "Why can't we just go down to the courthouse today and get married?"

"Really Castle? That's what you want? A courthouse wedding? Isn't that a little cliched? Even for you?"

"If it it means that we can be married tomorrow I would do it. I love you and want you for my wife. I want to be your one and done. Your always. I need to be the man that you deserve. I don't need a huge wedding. The only person I want there, need there, is you."

Looking into his eyes, Kate knew that he was completely serious. She found that she agreed with him. So, despite everything telling her that this was completely crazy, she told him, "Lets do it Castle."

Castle turned and looked at her. Not sure if she was serious or not, Castle asked, "Really?"

Not exactly the reaction that she was hoping for, but she laughed and nodding, "Yes really. I don't want to wait anymore Castle. I want to be your wife and I really don't want to wait until we figure everything out. Our children deserve to know that their mom and dad love each other enough to make this commitment to each other. We are more than a fancy wedding Castle. I meant what I said when I showed up at your door that night. I just want you Castle."

Leaning forward to kiss her, Castle whispered, "And I just want you Beckett."

Putting her hand on her stomach, she whispered, "The baby approves."

Castle gasped and smiled, "You are so cruel Katherine Beckett. I would do anything to feel it."

"You will. Someday."

"It's good that you can feel her. It means that she's growing. Thriving and surviving. I can't imagine what it was like for you."

"She? You think the baby's a girl? Do you want a girl?"

Castle laughed and shrugged his shoulders, "I don't care one way or the other. Boy or girl as long as he or she is healthy that's all that matters to me."

Kate pulled him close to her for a kiss and whispered, "I love you. I love our baby and I love that we are growing our family. This is all so amazing to me. I never thought I would have any of this."

"I should be thanking you Kate. You still love me. Even though I disappeared for over two months. Most women would have given up. Would have left and taken our son with her. I..."

She silenced him with a finger to his lips. She shook her head and told him softly, "I've fought too long and too hard for us to give up so easily Rick. You fought for us for four years. To give up after two months would have made a mockery out of everything that we fought so hard and so long for Rick. I will always be by your side. I will always fight for us Rick. When you are weak I will be strong. Just like you are for me. That's what this relationship is all about."

Castle looked at her with something bordering on astonishment. He didn't think that she realized how much he loved her. He knew that he would never be able to put it into words. Would never be able to show her just how much this family they were building together meant to him. It was everything he had every wanted, but never thought he would ever have.

However, everything was put on hold when Beckett woke the following morning.

When she woke, everything was completely normal. Since it was so early, Castle was still sound asleep. She showered and before she left for the day, she kissed him goodbye. She headed to the precinct and sat down to catch up on the paperwork from the following day.

She hadn't felt the baby move all day, but since she had only started moving, she wasn't too concerned. Castle was going to meet her for a doctor's appointment later that day.

She kissed him when she saw him and they walked into the doctor's office together. They held hands and she went to go sign in for the appointment. She sat down and took his hand once again. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he kissed the top of her head. Neither of them were aware of the tragedy that was waiting to be revealed on the other side of the doors to her doctors office.

Everything about the appointment was completely normal. At least until her doctor placed her stethoscope on her stomach to listen to the baby's heartbeat.

Beckett noticed the frown on her face and asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Her doctor always had a smile on her face whenever she was at her usual appointment. With each passing second, Beckett grew more and more nervous. Her doctor finally excused herself from the room and went to get an ultrasound machine. She needed to confirm her suspicions and that was the only sure way to do that.

Looking over at Castle, he seemed just as confused as she was. After a few minutes her doctor reappeared in the room with the ultrasound machine. She lifted Kate's shirt and squirted the gel onto her stomach.

After taking a few measurements and pictures, the doctor turned off the machine. She sighed and told them softly, "I really hate this part of my job."

Kate sat up. Not caring that her shirt was getting covered in the gel. She looked her doctor in the eyes and asked, "What's wrong with my baby?"

Her doctor was a very caring and compassionate woman. It was one of the reasons that she had been going to her for so many years. Taking Kate's hand, he doctor told her softly, "There's no easy way to say this Kate. I'm afraid that your baby is deceased."

It was at that moment that Kate's whole world froze. She put her hand to her stomach and whispered, "No. It can't be. I just felt the baby move last night and I would have known if something was wrong. I would have felt it. I..."

Kate tried to get up off of the exam table. She was convinced that her doctor was lying to her. That for whatever reason she was playing a cruel trick on her. She grabbed her purse and hurried out of the examination room. She stormed out of the office and called for a cab.

Meanwhile, Castle was left to ask the many questions that he had for her doctor. The woman explained that he would have to drive Kate to the hospital to induce labor so that they could deliver the baby.

"Is that common?"

Nodding, she told him, "It's actually the safest way to deliver the baby. She's going to need your support more than ever Mister Castle. She's far enough along that she would have formed an attachment to the baby. I'm not going to lie to you Rick. This is going to be devastating for her. She's going to blame herself. She's going to blame you. She's going to try and push you away. Whatever you do, don't let her. She's going to need you now more than ever."

Nodding, Castle told her, "I'll be there for her."

"The sooner we get her to the hospital the better Rick. She's at risk for a serious infection the longer the baby remains inside of her."

Castle sighed and nodded stiffly. He had thought that the worst day of his life was the day that he had missed their wedding. It was becoming clear to him that this was now officially the worst day of his life.

When he got home to the loft that night, he found Kate sitting in their bedroom crying. She had the doppler machine pressed to her stomach and tears rolling down her cheeks. She looked up at him and whispered, "I can't hear his heartbeat Rick. Why can't I hear it?"

Taking the machine away from her, he gathered her into his arms and kissed the top of her head and rocked her back and forth slowly. He honestly wished he was anyplace other than here. Wished that he was someone else.

He whispered softly to her, "Kate, the baby. The baby is gone and..."

She pushed him away violently and jumped up out of bed and screamed at him, "No! You're lying to me! I don't know why, but you're making this up and..."

He walked towards her and tried to take her in his arms, but she batted them away and stormed out of the bedroom. The sound of her sobs following her out of the room. Damn. That hadn't gone as he had hoped.

Before he knew it, his mother and Alexis appeared in the doorway of his office and both had a questioning look on their face. He held up his hand and told them, "I'll explain later. Right now I need to go after her. Can you watch Benny for me please?"

His mother nodded, "Sure. Is everything going to be okay Richard?"

Shrugging his shoulders, "I'm not really sure."

Following her out of the loft, Rick hurried to catch the elevator. He pushed the doors open and told her, "We need to deal with this Kate. Your doctor wants to admit you into the hospital tonight."

Shaking her head, she told him, "No. The baby is okay. There's something wrong with those damn machines Castle. I would feel it if he was gone. I'm his mother and..."

He pushed her against the back of the elevator car and held her still. She fought him every step of the way. Until he whispered, "Stop Beckett. This isn't doing either of us any good. The longer the baby is inside you like this the greater the chance there is for an infection. They want to induce labor and..."

That was when Kate fell to the floor of the elevator car. Castle pushed the stop button and fell down beside her. He held her while she cried and whispered softly to her. Words of nonsense and love. He was hurting inside, but he would deal with that later. Then he whispered, "I need to take you to the hospital, but I don't want you to hate me."

Shaking her head against him, she whispered, "I won't hate you. I couldn't hate you."

"I feel like I'm betraying you. Betraying everything we stand for. I. This baby. God Kate."

That's when the tears started for him. They sat there in the elevator together crying tears of loss and hurt. He felt like the worst kind of ass when he helped her up from the elevator floor and led her out of the building and into a waiting taxi.

 _ **Ducks and hides in the corner. Please don't hate or shoot me... I promise everything will be okay... Thoughts?**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**I'm fully prepared for the hate that's going to possibly come with this chapter. Hopefully you still love me and this story after this chapter.**_

Kate felt as if she was in some kind of walking nightmare. None of this seemed real. She still had moments where she wondered if this was all some kind of cruel, cruel hoax. Or something cooked up by her imagination. Her baby was lost before she even had a chance to hold her or him. It was all so unfair.

She was admitted into the hospital later that evening. She held Castle's hand while they administered the drugs that would bring on her labor. Until that evening, she thought that the pain of being shot was the worst thing she could have endured. Nothing compared to this pain however. This pain was deep and soul crushing. She was being forced to go through labor and delivery and she wouldn't have a baby to show for it at the end. She would go home with empty arms and an even emptier heart.

She cried silently through the entire process. Wishing that she were anywhere else. Wishing that the earth would just open up and swallow her whole. Part of her even wished for death. Her heart was broken anyway, so death would be so much easier than this.

After nearly twenty four hours of labor, their baby girl was finally delivered. She weighed just over ten ounces. She didn't look anything other than perfect. Kate's doctor knew that Kate and Rick needed to see the baby. Needed to know that it wasn't horribly deformed.

Kate couldn't stop the great gulping sobs that escaped her as she looked down at her baby girl. She already had hair on her head and her tiny fingers and toes were perfectly formed. When the doctor took the baby away, she wanted to follow. Didn't want her baby girl to be lonely.

She was released from the hospital later that day. Her doctor told them that they would do an autopsy to determine the cause of death, but often there was no cause. Sometimes things like this just happened and the cause could never be determined.

Kate was very silent on the way home from the hospital. Castle had called his mother and Kate and told them what had happened. They were both devastated to hear about what happened to the baby. Their tiny baby girl had died before she was allowed to live.

They decided to give her a name. It seemed fitting. They named her Stella Grace. It meant Star in Swedish. She would always be looking over them. Just like a star in the sky.

Kate climbed into bed that night and curled up into a tight ball. She wasn't hungry and didn't want to talk to anyone. Part of her wanted to die and part of her felt like she was going to die.

Castle climbed into bed behind her and held her tight. She tried to move away from him at first, but soon melted into him. He held her while she cried her heart out for their lost baby girl.

She turned into a virtual zombie over the next few weeks. She barely ate and hardly ever slept. She stared out the window and cried silently. She ignored everyone and everything. Even Benny was feeling the effects of her loss. Their baby boy tried to climb into her lap one day and Kate practically jumped to her feet and almost pushed him to the floor. The surprised boy took one look at her and cried his heart out. She shook her head and walked out of the room leaving Castle staring after her.

To say that he was pissed would have been a major understatement. Kate could hurt him. He was an adult and he could understand her moods, but Benny was still a baby. He had no idea why the only woman he could remember as his mother was pushing him away. He calmed Benny down and put him to bed. Then he stalked towards their bedroom to have to out with Kate.

He looked down at her and she looked so very small. For a moment, he considered leaving it alone. But then he remembered Benny's tears and he knew that they couldn't go on like this forever. So, he sat down on the bed and told her, "We need to talk Beckett."

Shaking her head, she told him, "I don't want to talk."

Sighing, he shook his head, "Well, I don't really care."

She turned to look at him and asked, "What? How can you say that?"

"I can because you've been like this for weeks. Pushing everyone and everything away from you. I let it go on because you weren't really hurting anyone other than yourself. At least not until tonight. Tonight everything changed."

"What changed? I haven't done anything today that I haven't done since I lost her."

"That's where you are wrong Katherine. Tonight you hurt someone that I love and that I thought you loved. Someone that has never hurt you."

"What are you even talking about Castle?"

"I stood there and watched you push Benny away from you. Watched as he crumpled to the ground and cried his eyes out. Because you pushed him away and onto the ground and all he was trying to do was give his mommy a hug and crawl into her lap. You are so wrapped up in your grief that you can't let anyone else in. Well, news flash Kate, we are still here! Benny and Alexis are your family to."

"I'm still grieving Castle."

"And I get that Kate, but that doesn't mean that you can treat us like that. We lost her too. She meant the world to us."

"I didn't even get to hold her Rick!"

It was then that Alexis walked into the room. She had a small package in her hand and she looked nervous. Castle could tell that she wanted to say something, but that she was afraid to. She shuffled back and forth on her feet and Castle asked, "What do you want Alexis? We are in the middle of something. I..."

Alexis held up her hands and told her father, "I know and normally I wouldn't interrupt, but well..."

Kate sighed and asked, "What is it Alexis?"

She thrust out the package and gave it to Kate. Then she rushed to explain, "I saw a story on tv the other night and well I thought that this might help. I know that it's not much, but..."

Castle took the package from her and they opened it together. Inside was a tiny teddy bear. It weighed the exactly the same as their baby girl. It was dressed in a pink shirt and had her daughter's name printed on it.

Before she could say anything to Alexis, the girl had left the room. Kate was left standing in their room looking at the gift from her stepdaughter. She swallowed hard and fell apart. For the first time in weeks she realized that she wasn't alone in this. She had a husband, son and stepdaughter that needed her.

She knew that she would always love and miss her lost baby girl. She leaned up and kissed Castle softly and closed her eyes and whispered, "I'm sorry Castle..."

They laid down and Castle held her while she cried and she after the longest time she finally fell asleep.

She woke and it felt like everything had been a dream. She walked into the bathroom slowly and she didn't notice that anything was different until she felt a kick in her midsection. Her eyes flew open and she gripped the sink. She had to take some deep breaths and she looked down at her stomach. It was obvious that she was still pregnant.

She called out to her fiancee, "Castle! Come quick! Please!"

Beckett would have laughed, at the sight of him stumbling out of the bed. He practically crashed into the dresser in the bedroom. He hurried into the bathroom and asked, "What's wrong? Is the baby okay?"

Nodding, Beckett whispered, "Yeah. I...Castle...I..."

He knew that something was terribly wrong with her. He took her hands in his and whispered, "What happened?"

"The baby. I lost the baby. It took weeks for me to get over it. I... And now I'm still pregnant. I don't know what happened. I.."

She dropped down to the toilet and put her hands on her stomach and their unborn baby promptly moved around inside of her. She laughed until she cried and whispered, "Castle. I don't understand any of this. I..."

Castle knelt down beside her and whispered, "The baby is fine. You were having a bad nightmare, but stopped when I tried to wake you up."

Getting to his feet, Castle ran into the bedroom and grabbed the doppler device. He turned it on and held it to her stomach. The room was immediately filled with the sound of swishing and they knew that it was their baby's heartbeat. Kate looked at him and whispered, "It's our baby."

Nodding, Castle whispered, "The baby is fine. Everything is fine. It was just a terribly bad dream. We can go to your doctor and have her take a look. If it would make you feel better."

Nodding, she whispered, "It would. I need to see our guppy."

Castle laughed softly and asked, "Guppy?"

"I just don't want to call the baby an it anymore. I want to see her. I need to be reassured that..."

She felt Castle take her in his arms and hug her tight. Then he told her, "We are going to call her and then you will see that the baby is just fine. I know that the dream freaked you out, but everything is okay."

Castle left her in the bathroom and walked into the living room and picked up his phone. Then, he called up her doctor. He was able to get her an appointment for nine a.m. She hurried to get ready and Castle took a shower and got dressed. Beckett was waiting for him. She was pacing the floor nervously and he reached out for her hand. She took it and they walked out of the loft together.

Walking into the doctors office felt like deja vu. She was sure that her doctor would tell her that their baby was gone. Leaving her in the middle of a never ending nightmare. She closed her eyes and laid her head on Castle's shoulder. Wishing that this day was over with.

When they were finally called back, the doctor smiled at them and she put her stethoscope on Kate's belly. All like in her dream. However, unlike her dream, the room was soon filled with the sound of their baby's heartbeat. The doctor smiled and told them, "Your baby is perfectly healthy Kate. Did you want me to do an ultrasound?"

"If you don't mind?"

Shaking her head, she told her, "Not at all. If it settles your mind then it's worth it."

Kate closed her eyes and was settled just a little bit. She waited for the doctor to come back into the room. When she did, she had the ultrasound machine with her. Then, she felt the gel on her stomach and gasped from the cold.

Castle looked at her and smiled. He squeezed her hand and leaned down to kiss her. The doctor smiled and told her softly, "There's your baby. Moving and growing. Would you like pictures?"

Kate nodded, "Yes please. Can we get five copies please?"

Smiling, the doctor nodded and printed out the pictures. She needed them to prove to her that her baby was still okay.

All she could do was stare at the picture of their baby on the way home. She finally reached over and took Castle's hand and whispered, "Marry me Castle. I want to be more than your girlfriend. I want to be your wife. I don't care about a fancy wedding. All I need is you. Just you..."

Nodding, Castle told her, "Lets do it. I still have our wedding license. Lets just get married. We can tell everyone after."

Looking in the back seat, Castle told her, "What about Benny?"

Smiling, she told him, "I want him with us. We could get Alexis, but then your mom would want to be there and then the boys and Lanie."

"Yeah."

"No. We can have a big reception in the Hamptons."

"You have everything all planned out. Don't you?"

Nodding, she leaned over and kissed him while they stopped at the light. Castle changed course and they headed for the courthouse.

They said their vows with Benny as the only member of their family in attendance. They were married on a cold day in February. Love surrounding them as they started their lives together as husband and wife.

Walking out of the courthouse, Castle gave her a kiss and Beckett hummed softly and closed her eyes. Then she whispered, "We did it Castle."

Nodding, he kissed her back, "We did. I love you Mrs. Castle."

"And I love you Mister Castle."

Castle did a double take, but simply smiled at his new wife. He knew that she was the love of his life. He had known that for awhile now. It had just taken them a long time to get there.

When they reached the car, Castle put Benny in his car seat and before they got into the car, he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. Then he asked, "Are you ready to go home?"

Nodding, she bit her bottom lip and got into the car. They drove home and Kate's stomach was churning with nervousness. How would their family and friends take the news of their marriage? Would they be happy or upset? Would they understand her need to make him her husband right away? Or would they be upset at them because they weren't invited to the wedding?

When he stopped the car, he could tell that Beckett was nervous. She was biting her lip so hard that it was nearly white. He took her hand and whispered, "It will be fine Kate. They are going to be happy for us."

"You think so?"

"I know so. All they are going to care about is that we are happy. We are married now Kate. Just like we should have been months ago."

Beckett hoped that he was right, but she had a feeling that their families were going to be upset about them running off to get married without telling or inviting them to the ceremony. Even if it was at the courthouse. She knew that her father would be particularly upset. She was his only daughter after all. Maybe she should have given this whole wedding a second thought. Maybe they should have waited. Had they made a massive mistake? Would her father be mad at her? Or would he simply be happy that she was happy after months and months of sadness and doubt? She knew that there was only one way to find out. She had to tell him. Had to invite him over to the loft and break the news to him.

So, they called Lanie, Esposito, Ryan and her father and invited them over to the loft that night. Beckett kept busy in the kitchen. Castle knew that she was trying to ease her nerves. She had found her way into the bathroom and thrown up the entire contents of her stomach. And it wasn't morning sickness this time. No, this time is was nerves plain and simple. It would have been easy to blame it on the baby, but it wouldn't be honest.

When the doorbell rang, she looked at it and had the sudden urge to run to the bedroom and hide. He pulled her close to him and whispered, "It will be fine Kate. Trust me."

She laid her head on his shoulder and he felt the tears soaking through his shirt. He put a finger under her chin and whispered, "Kate, they will be happy for us. We can have a big reception for everyone."

"But my dad Castle. I..."

"He might be upset, but I promise he will ultimately be happy for us. Do you regret marrying me?"

Her response was immediate, "No. Never. I could never regret that Castle. I love you and could never regret becoming your wife. Never."

"Then just remember that they will be happy in the end. They love us and want us to be happy."

She nodded and pulled his mouth down to hers and kissed him softly. Wishing that she could avoid the conversation with their families out in the living room. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against his. He finally told her softly, "They love us Kate. Lets go out into that room and show them how happy we are."

She nodded softly and reached for his hand. Knowing that she would need his strength. She took a deep breath and headed out of the bedroom. He gave her hand a squeeze and he smiled at her softly. He looked at their family that was gathered in the living room. And yes, he did consider the boys and Lanie as part of their family. He smiled at Beckett's father and then he announced, "We have a big announcement to make. There's no easy way to say this. So, we are just going to say it. We made the big decision to..."

That was when Alexis piped up with, "You're breaking up?"

That caused a big commotion with everyone in the room. It got very loud in the room and Castle and Beckett looked at one another. Finally, Beckett said loudly, "Stop it! No we are not breaking up. Why would you think that Alexis?"

Alexis shook her head, "You are just so serious. And you look sad almost. So..."

Castle shook his head, "We aren't breaking up. I promise. It is something big though. When I went missing it put a kink into our wedding plans. Well, Kate and I decided that we didn't want to wait anymore. So, we went to the courthouse and well..."

Rick and Kate announced together, "We got married!"

That was when the room got extremely quiet. It was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop. Everyone's mouth fell open and Martha very nearly dropped the glass of wine that she had been holding.

Kate was almost afraid to look at her father given the reactions of the others in the room. However, before she knew what was happening, she felt someone giving her a hug. Turning to look, she was surprised to notice that it was her father that had his arms around her. Then he told her, "I'm happy for you Katie."

"Really? You aren't mad?"

Shaking his head, he asked her softly, "Mad? Why on earth would I be mad?"

"Because I didn't give you a chance to walk me down the aisle. Because we didn't tell you before we did this. Before..."

Jim Beckett shook his head and told her, "None of that matters to me. All that matters is that you and Rick are happy together. This should mean good things for your adoption of Benny. The courts really favor married couples." Looking at his only daughter he smiled knowingly. Then he told her, "That's why you did this so suddenly. Are you sure it's a good idea? Is that a reason to get married so quickly? I..."

Shaking her head, Kate told her father, "No dad. We should have been married months ago. Before everything went so horribly wrong. We wanted this before now dad. I promise."

Looking at her, Jim smiled and hugged her tightly. And just like that, the tension in the room was gone. Their families were gathered around them and hugging and kissing them. Everyone promising to attend the reception.

They had planned the night to last longer, but around ten that night Kate grew extremely tired. So tired that she curled up on the couch and fell fast asleep. Not realizing that her friends and family were taking pictures and promising to call them tomorrow.

Looking down at his wife, Rick smiled as he picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. He was glad that Alexis and his mother were understanding about the impromptu wedding. They had even offered to help with setting up the reception.

 _ **Thoughts?**_


	9. Chapter 9

**I know that some have felt this story has veered off course, but honestly it's all about life and love and family and make Benny a part of that family. It's very rarely easy or predictable. I'm sorry if I've disappointed any of the readers of this story...**

The following morning, Kate woke up and realized that for the first time in a long time, she didn't feel sick to her stomach. She sat up in the bed and when the room didn't start spinning, she thought that maybe the worst of the morning sickness was over. She threw her feet over the side of the bed and waited for her stomach to revolt. When it didn't happen, she stood up and wandered into the bathroom.

The following morning was the day that the bottom fell out of their world. Kate was called into the precinct because a body had dropped. She had kissed Castle goodbye and promised to call him later. Castle had mumbled a goodbye and rolled back over to go to sleep. He woke a few hours later and was surprised at how late in the day it was. Benny was usually awake by this time of the morning. In fact, he never, ever slept past ten and it was almost noon.

Castle hurried up the stairs and he noticed that Benny was still sleeping, but the tiny boy was covered in a fine sheen of perspiration. Castle was immediately alarmed and hurried over to the boy. He immediately knew that there was something terribly wrong with him. He picked up the thermometer and after taking his temperature, it was 103.4. Terribly high for a baby as young as Benny. So, he picked him up and hurried downstairs with him. Not bothering to get him dressed for the day.

He dressed quickly and left a quick note for his mother and Alexis. Telling them that he was taking Benny to the hospital. He barely remembered to grab his cell phone as he hurried into the elevator.

He got into the parking garage and buckled Benny into his car seat and hurried to the hospital. He called Beckett's cell phone and prayed that she would pick up.

When it went to her voicemail, he cursed out loud and left a hurried message, "Beckett, it's Castle. I'm on my way to the hospital. Benny's very sick. I don't have all the details yet, but just get there as soon as you can."

Castle barely remembered the rest of the drive to the hospital. He pulled up to the Emergency Room and threw his door open and hurried out. The guard started to argue with him, but when he saw him carrying Benny, he knew that something was seriously wrong. So, he motioned for Castle to go inside. Telling him, "I'll move your vehicle for you."

Murmuring this thanks, Castle hurried inside. Practically running up to the nurses station, Castle told them, "I need help. My son is very sick. He's running a very high temperature and he hasn't woken up since I put him in the car."

That was when Benny's tiny body started shaking. The nurse looked at him and immediately went into action. She grabbed the baby from him and hurried behind the ER doors. Leaving Castle standing there wondering if he would see his son again and if this whole thing was his fault. He should have woken Benny earlier in the day. Maybe if he hadn't overslept then Benny wouldn't be here in the hospital.

He was pacing back and forth when he heard someone call his name, "Richard! Where is he?"

Castle walked over to his mother and engulfed her in a hug. He took a deep breath and told her, "They took him into the back. He's been back there for about ten minutes."

"Where's Katherine?"

"I left a message for her and..."

That was when he heard his name, "Castle..."

He turned towards his wife and they embraced in the middle of the waiting room. She whispered softly, "What's wrong with him Castle?"

Shaking his head, Castle told her, "I don't know. They just took him back."

Beckett nodded and hugged him again and then she whispered, "He will be fine Castle. He has to be."

The next few hours were some of the longest hours of their lives. They paced back and forth. Held each other tightly and basically waited for any information on their tiny son.

Martha had gone downstairs to the cafeteria to grab coffee for them when the doctor came to talk to them, "Benny Vale's family?"

Castle and Beckett hurried forward and Castle took the lead, "That's us! We are his foster parents."

The doctor nodded and went on to explain what was happening, "Your son is a very sick little boy. He has been having seizures off and on for the past few hours. At first we thought they were caused by the fever. Now however we aren't so sure. I have called in a specialist. He's in town for a conference and..."

Castle looked at the doctor and asked, "What do you think is wrong with him doctor?"

The doctor swallowed hard and finally told them honestly, "We believe that your son has epilepsy."

That was when the world stood still for Castle and Beckett. They simply stared at the man and Beckett finally asked, "When will you know for sure?"

"Like I said, there is a conference in town this week. The world's leading expert in epilepsy is here in town. I've called him in for a consultation. He will be here within the hour."

Beckett nodded and then asked, "Can we see him?"

"Of course. I'll take you to him. If you'll follow me."

Castle grabbed his wife's hand and they followed the doctor into Benny's room. Seeing him attached to all the wires made Castle loose his breath for a moment. He walked over to his son and whispered, "Everything will be okay little man. I promise, mommy and I will do whatever we can to make you well."

Beckett nodded and leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. Benny's eyes opened slowly and he smiled at her. She smiled and whispered to her son, "Mommy's here for you Benny."

The boy sighed heavily and closed his eyes. Then, he started shaking and another seizure overtook his small body. Castle had never felt so helpless in his life. He wondered if they were going to lose Benny before he became theirs.

They were there for almost twenty minutes when the man that would prove to be a God send walked into the room. Neurologist James Wheless walked into the room with a small smile on his face and an air of confidence about him. He introduced himself to Castle and Beckett and asked Benny's doctor, "What are his symptoms?"

The doctor started naming the symptoms and Doctor Wheless nodded and told Benny's parents, "I want to keep an eye on him over the next twenty four hours. The seizures can be caused by the fever. However, I'm not entirely convinced of this. I want to do an MRI and get a look at what's going on inside Benny's brain. And we will perform blood tests to determine exactly what is going on with him. We will do everything we can to find out what's going on."

Nodding, Castle told the doctor, "Do whatever you need to make him better or to get the answers that we need."

Nodding, the doctor gave instructions to the nurses and doctors gathered around. Doctor Wheless started issuing orders and soon left the room. Leaving Castle and Beckett wondering if their dreams of a life with Benny were all for nothing.

It took days, but Benny finally started feeling better. His fever was gone and he was even smiling at Castle and Beckett. When Alexis visited him, he was all smiles and played peek a boo with his sister. It was all quite bittersweet. He was throwing kisses and smiling and it was hard to think that they were all waiting on a diagnosis that could change their lives forever.

That news came after Benny had been in the hospital for almost a week. Doctor Wheless had stayed in New York in order to find out the cause of Benny's seizures. He came in early in the morning and smiled at the family.

He shook hands with them and pulled out his report. He had a smile on his face, but everyone in the room knew that he was there to tell them something that would change their lives forever. He smiled at Benny and the small boy smiled back and thrust his blocks towards him. The doctor took a few moments to play with him. Then, he turned to his parents and told him, "We know what's wrong with him."

Castle found his voice first and asked, "How bad is it?"

"It's not as bad as it could be, but he does have epilepsy. The good news is that it can be managed with medications. And when he's older I want him to come to our hospital in Memphis. Then we can see if he's a candidate for surgery. However, most of the children I treat are able to lead normal lives with medications."

Kate finally asked, "Will he have a normal life? Will he be able to have children and go to college? Is this a death sentence?"

"It can be, but in ninety percent of the cases I treat the children go on to develop normal and fulfilling lives. They go to college. Have regular careers and very successful jobs and lives."

Alexis nodded and hugged her brother tightly. She kissed his head and tickled his belly. Causing the little boy to giggle and squirm in her lap.

Castle and Beckett were told that the nurse would come in to tell them about the medications that he wanted to try first. They would see how he tolerated them and they would go from there. Doctor Wheless told them to contact his office and they would put him in touch with a local specialist. Then, when Benny was old enough they would travel to Tennessee to have further tests done. For now, his seizures could be controlled with medications.

When everyone left the hospital room that night, Castle and Beckett sat beside Benny's bedside and watched as he slept. Neither said much, but Castle smiled at his wife and she smiled back at him. Then, she leaned over and kissed him softly and whispered, "I love you Richard Castle."

Smiling, Castle whispered, "I love you. Any regrets?"

Shaking her head, she whispered, "None."

"Me either."

"Good. Because I wouldn't change a thing about this. Any of this."

Castle leaned over and kissed her again and they held each other while they watched their son sleeping.

When they woke the following morning, They smiled down at Benny, but noticed that he was having yet another seizure. Doctor Wheless had told them that the medications would take time to work their way into his system.

The hardest part was that because they weren't his real parents, they didn't know what truly caused the epilepsy. It could have been hiding in him from the time he was born and something could have triggered it suddenly. Doctor Wheless assured them that it wasn't anything they had done and it was all out of their control. That sometimes these things just happened.

Castle looked at Beckett and asked her softly, "You're in this with us right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You still want him."

She took her husbands hands and nodded so very slowly, "I wanted him the moment we knew his parents were gone Castle. I love him. I love how he smiles when we walk in the room. I love how he calls me mama. I love how he calls you dada. I can't imagine giving him up. I won't give him up because of this Rick."

Smiling, he leaned over and kissed his wife and then told her softly, "I won't either, but I just wanted to make sure that we were on the same page here."

Kate looked at her husband like he had grown another head. How could he doubt that she still wanted to adopt Benny? Why would she give her son up simply because he had a serious illness that he couldn't be held responsible for?

She loved her son and nothing would change that. She knew that she would move heaven and earth to make the dream of adding him to their family a reality. Putting her hand on Benny's forehead she leaned down and kissed him softly and whispered, "You are my son and we are going to take you home with us. Whatever we need to do to make you a part of our family we will do. Your father and I have a special word. We said always and now that includes you Benny. Always."

Castle smiled at her and repeated, "Always Kate. Always Benny."

Smiling at her husband, she stood up and hugged him tightly and laid her head on his shoulder. Smiling at the love she felt for him and the son they were working so hard to make a part of their growing family...

 _ **Thoughts?**_


	10. Chapter 10

Then they got a visit from their new social worker. Castle looked at her and asked, "What did we do wrong this time? How did you know he was in the hospital?"

Smiling at them, she said, "Since Benny is still a foster child the hospital had to contact me. I need to talk to you. To both of you."

Castle could tell by the tone of her voice that this was a conversation that the woman wasn't looking forward to having with them. Clearing her throat, the woman continued, "It seems as though Benny has been diagnosed with a very serious medical condition. Epilepsy. While not life threatening, it can cause many developmental delays and other issues."

Looking at her, Castle asked, "And your point is?"

"There's no easy way to ask this or to say it."

Closing her eyes, Kate knew that this was it. This was the moment she had been dreading since they had decided to adopt Benny. They were going to take him away from them. She wondered if they thought that she and Castle had done something to cause his condition. So, she told the woman boldly, "We didn't cause this. Doctor Wheless said that he was most like born with this condition."

Nodding, the social worker looked at them and continued, "I know that. I do. I'm just wondering if..."

Castle interrupted her and asked, "What are you wondering? I wish you would get to the point and tell us what the purpose of your visit is."

Nodding, she told them, "The state of New York is prepared to take him from you. We know that when you first requested and submitted your application to adopt him you thought you were adopting a normal, healthy baby. We understand if you want to withdraw your application. I brought the termination of adoption paperwork with me and..."

Kate didn't need to think about this. Shaking her head, she told the woman, "No. Absolutely not."

"No?"

"No. Benny is our son. No matter what. We love him and his diagnosis doesn't change that. We would never give him up. He's part of our family and we couldn't love him any more than if he was our birth son."

"His medical bills will continue to rise and it won't be easy..."

Castle told her confidently, "We are well aware of that. We have the resources to take care of him. He is our son and that's all that matters. We won't deny him a chance of a loving family simply because it's going to be expensive or inconvenient."

Nodding, Beckett told Ms. Fisher, "Exactly. We are both on the same page. Nothing is going to change the way we feel about him. We all love him. You can try to change our minds, but we won't. Epilepsy isn't a death sentence. Millions of people have it and live completely normal lives."

"And some children do very poorly in school and they have to be placed in special education classes their entire life. I just want to make sure that you know what you are getting yourselves into if you do ahead with Benny's adoption."

Kate looked at the woman and shook her head, "It sounds like you are trying to talk us out of adopting him. Is there something that you aren't telling us Ms. Fisher? Some reason why we shouldn't adopt him and make him part of our family."

The social worker sighed and told them, "The outlook for most children with epilepsy is very bleak. In addition to the learning disabilities, most children have behavioral disabilities as well."

Shaking his head, Castle told her, "We know all about these kind of things. We are confident that we can handle this. We have always been up for any challenge.

Ms. Fisher looked at Castle and Beckett and she could see that they were determined to raise Benny together. They had presented a united front and weren't about to let her keep them from what they wanted. And it was apparent to her that they wanted to adopt and make Benny a part of their household. She finally nodded and asked, "So, you are still wanting to adopt him?"

Beckett laughed, "Yes. That hasn't changed."

Ms. Fisher smiled and nodded, "Okay. I'm truly sorry if I upset you. It's just that in our experience a lot of perspective adoptive parents decide to pull out once they learn the child they wanted to adopt has a serious medical condition."

"We understand that, but just understand that my wife and I are in this for life. I could no more give up Benny than I could give up my daughter Alexis. He became a part of our family the day we found him and he always will be."

Looking at Castle, Beckett nodded and told the woman, "Always."

"That's good to know. I can't tell you how relieved I am to know that Benny has found such a wonderful home. With wonderful parents like you and Mister Castle."

Beckett turned to the social worker and smiled as she told her, "I'm not sure why the people you've worked with in the past backed out, but rest assured, we are going forward with Benny's adoption. Everyone in our lives is so in love with him. My father. His mother. His daughter. I would no sooner give Benny up that I would give up this baby growing inside of me."

"You're pregnant?"

Nodding, Beckett put her hand on her stomach and told her, "I'm almost five months pregnant."

"Congratulations. Well, my work here is done for now. Thank you. It's good to know that Benny has such a loving family. You are both truly remarkable."

Castle and Beckett watched as the woman walked out of the room and they wondered how anyone could give up a child that they had grown to love simply because they got sick. How could you simply abandon a child when it doesn't meet your expectations of normal?

Standing up, Beckett turned to Castle and hugged him tightly. She laid her head on his chest and whispered, "I can't believe that she thought we would want to give him back. Give him to a family that might or might not love him. What kind of person could..."

Castle honestly didn't know. What he did know was that Benny was a part of their family now and he would stay with them forever and nothing would ever change that. Nothing.

Benny was released from the hospital two days later and the medicines seemed to be helping him. He hadn't had another seizure and the hospital staff was quite happy with his progress. The hospital staff loved the entire family and were sad to see them go. The nurses gave him lots of hugs and kisses. Something that Benny ate up. The little boy was just like Castle. He was an attention hog and never failed to soak up the love and attention.

They took him home and smiled when they realized that their entire family was there waiting for him. Waiting to welcome him home. They didn't get much sleep that night, but it was definitely worth it.

She woke up early that morning and smiled as she looked in the mirror. She whispered to their unborn baby, "Good morning my little guppy."

Running her hand over her stomach she smiled at the ever growing baby bump. She loved the changes in her body. Loved watching her body grow and change. She smiled when she felt a tiny flutter.

She walked into the bedroom and sat down next to her husband. She kissed him softly and whispered, "I wish you could feel our guppy moving. It's incredible Castle."

"Mmmhmm... Wish I could feel it to... Want breakfast?"

Leaning down she whispered, "Yes, but I want to take a shower first."

Castle stretched and nodded as he brought her down for another kiss, "Love you..."

"Love you more."

"Not possible."

She smiled and hurried back into the bathroom. Smiling the entire way.

 _ **Thoughts?**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**First of all, I want to thank every single person that has left a review. They mean more to me than you will ever imagine.**_

It was three weeks later when she walked into the kitchen and watched Castle making breakfast. She took a deep breath and smiled when the smell of his cooking didn't send her running back into the bedroom and heading towards the bathroom.

She threw her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly from behind. She kissed his shoulder blade and told him, "I think the morning sickness is behind me now."

"Really? Does that mean that you want some bacon and eggs?"

She smiled and bit her bottom lip. Then she threw him for a loop when she told him, "I want to try a smorelett."

His mouth flew open and he asked, "What?"

"Forget it. I'll just have bacon and eggs..."

Shaking his head, he told her, "No. If the baby wants a smorelett then the baby will get a smorelett."

Alexis walked downstairs at that moment and asked, "Who on earth would want a smorelett?"

Smiling, Castle's chest puffs out and he tells her, "Your baby brother or sister. That's who?"

Turning to look at Beckett, Alexis whispered, "Tell me that he's joking. Because smoreletts are just about the single grossest thing known to man kind and it might start you throwing up again Kate. I..."

Castle silenced her and started chasing her around the kitchen with a spatula. This caused Alexis to squeal with laughter and her laughter started Benny's own.

Walking over to the baby, Beckett picked him up and peppered kisses all over his face and belly. This caused the baby to squeal even more. Castle and Alexis stopped what they were doing and watched the two of them together.

It was obvious to them both that Kate loved their little boy. They knew that their unborn baby was going to be just as loved as he was.

Castle went back to making Beckett's breakfast and Alexis was standing beside him telling him that he was going to kill Beckett and her unborn brother or sister with the awful concoction that was the smorelett. Castle laughed and reminded her that the baby was half him. So of course the baby would have some of his tastes in food.

Alexis snorted and said, "Yeah, the gross half of you. I swear, I'm going to have a serious talk with my brother or sister and let them know that they are going to die if they keep eating like you. I'll teach them what good food is like. Bacon and eggs are great. Just like normal people. Smoreletts? Not for normal people and not for my brother or sister."

Beckett laughed and told her stepdaughter, "I'm sure that the cravings will go away once the baby's born."

Alexis gave her a look and laughed, "Maybe, but just remember. He is half dad and well..."

Alexis pointed at her father and Beckett couldn't stop smiling when she watched Castle making breakfast. Her father was making the smorelett and Alexis whispered, "You better hope that he gets your tastes in food. Otherwise we are going to have to eat our breakfast in separate rooms of the loft. Because there's no way I want to see what kind of culinary creations they come up with together."

Beckett laughed and smiled at Alexis. She started tearing up at the thought of her and Castle's son or daughter cooking meals together. She could picture them together.

She could see the future through his daughters words. Could see them in the kitchen together. Creating awful culinary creations and forcing her to eat them. She would force the food down and will herself to keep it down. Then, they would get Benny to join in on their fun. The three of them would gang up on her and practically force her to try their food.

Kate kissed the top of Benny's head and whispered, "I think that the two of us can stand up to them. It's going to be the two of us against the two of them. Mommy and Benny against the rest of the Castle clan. Do you think we even stand a chance sweetie?"

Benny clapped her on her face and planted a kiss on her cheek and said, "Ma..."

Beckett closed her eyes and she felt the tears pricking behind her eyes and whispered, "Yes. I'm your mommy. I love you my baby boy."

She closed her eyes and breathed in the smell of her sweet baby boy. He had changed her life in so many ways. Changed her life for the better. Made her see that family didn't have to be related to you. Didn't have to share a single ounce of your DNA, but that it didn't matter. Sometime, love just happened and it found you when you least expected it to.

Later that day, Ms. Fisher showed up at the loft. When Beckett first saw her, she thought that she was coming to do another surprise visit. However, the social worker had a huge smile on her face. It was such a different look for the social worker that she was taken by surprise.

She welcomed her into the home and Ms. Fisher got right down to business. She smiled at them and told them, "Well, you will be happy to know that the court is ready to grant your adoption. We don't see any reason to delay this process any longer than it already has been. And with your marriage, it's only fitting that you be allowed to adopt Benny."

Seriously? That was all that it took? It all seemed so simple now, but Beckett finally asked, "What changed everyone's mind?"

"Honestly? You have some very powerful friends in high places. They all put in a very good word for you. Even Judge Markaway had nothing but glowing things to say about the two of you. And well, if a Judge of his standing thinks that highly of you. Lets just say that I have no real reason to delay the adoption any longer. Also, Benny deserves a loving and stable home to grow up in and you are all so in love with one another. I can see him growing old and maybe getting a few brothers and sisters. You have enough love to go around."

Castle came up behind his wife and hugged her tightly. Then, he kissed her cheek and the social worker smiled at them. She could tell that they were a couple that were deeply in love with one another. She told them softly, "There are a few more things that we need to talk about, but they can wait. Somebody seems like they are very hungry."

Beckett smiled at her son. He was practically climbing up Castle trying to get to the bacon. Like father like son. Picking him up, she put him in his highchair and asked the social worker, "Would you like to stay for breakfast? We are having smoreletts. Would you like one?"

Castle smiled and told the woman, "There's plenty for everyone. It's not trouble really."

Ms. Fisher gave her a puzzling look and asked, "What's a smorelett?"

Alexis piped up, "It's something that you don't want to try! Trust me." Then she turned to her father and whispered, "Are you trying to sabotage his adoption? Offering her a smorelett? Honestly dad what were you thinking?"

Laughing, Castle looked at his daughter and told her, "I wasn't. Kate wanted one and I got excited."

Shaking her head, she made a face of disgust and looked at her stepmother, "I can't believe that you actually want one of those awful things. Are you sure you aren't having an alien instead of a baby? I mean it is half dad and..."

Beckett laughed, "I'm not sure. It sounded good and it's been the first actual solid food that I've been able to eat in weeks."

Alexis laughed and felt Kate's forehead. She pulled it back and laughed as she said, "You are burning up!"

This made her father concerned and he asked, "Are you feeling okay Kate? I can get you something and..."

Alexis and Kate looked at one another and they suddenly burst out laughing. Castle looked at the two of them and whispered under his breath, "You two are so not funny."

Walking over to kiss him softly, Kate whispered, "Admit it. You love that we get along so well."

Castle shrugged and turned back to the stove. He did like it. He liked that the two most important women in his life were finally able to be in the same room together. When he and Kate had first gotten together, life in the loft had been tense. Alexis hadn't understood how he could forgive Kate for her past mistakes. He hadn't been able or willing to explain it to his daughter at the time. The heart wants what the heart wants. It didn't matter that he had been hurt by her in the past. He loved her enough to forgive her. To look past the past and towards their future. And what a future it was turning out to be.

When he turned back around, Ms. Fisher was being shown out of the loft and Benny was crawling around the floor with Alexis. His daughter was stacking blocks and Benny was bringing her more. Alexis smiled at him and when he knocked the tower down and the tears threatened to spill out, she simply laughed and this caused the boy to laugh also. It was amazing watching the two of them together. His oldest and his youngest. Well, the youngest until their own baby made an appearance. He loved their family dynamics and he knew that he wouldn't change it for the world. It worked for them and it was a beautiful thing to be able to watch his family growing and growing.

He had always wanted more children and now that dream was coming true. Maybe it wasn't normal, but nothing in his life had ever been what he would have considered normal. No. It wasn't normal, but it definitely worked for them. All of them.

When he called them for breakfast, Alexis stood up and scooped up Benny and brought him to the table. Tickling him as she walked with him. She was a natural big sister. He'd been worried at first about whether she would be jealous of the new additions to the family, but Alexis had surprised him like she always had. She was a natural as a big sister and their children were going to be so very lucky.

Ms. Fisher finished up her report and then shook Castle and Beckett's hands. Before she left, she smiled and told them, "I can see just how much the three of you love Benny. He's a very lucky little boy. I just wish that all of my cases turned out like this."

Beckett smiled and told the caseworker, "We appreciate everything that you've done to help us. We couldn't love him any more if he was our own."

Nodding, the woman left the house and left Castle and Beckett smiling in the kitchen. Then Beckett told him, "I still want that breakfast mister."

Castle pulled away from her and gave her a small salute and went to finish their breakfast. She smiled at him and then she went to sit down and play with Alexis and Benny. Castle turned around and watched his family playing on the floor of the loft and he couldn't stop the smile that came to his face. His family was growing bigger every day. He realized that he wouldn't want it any other way.

Finishing the smorelett, Castle put it on the plate and added a few pieces of bacon. He grabbed some fresh strawberries and bananas. At least the breakfast was somewhat healthy for Beckett and their growing baby. He knew that the smorelett was the farthest thing from healthy for her, but if she was craving it, then he would make it for her. No questions asked. He would do anything for her. Including making her whatever she wanted to eat. No matter how strange it might seem to him.

He put the plate on the counter and told her, "Breakfast is served my darling wife."

Kate smiled at him from where she sat on the floor and hurried to get up. She picked up Benny and placed him in his highchair. She leaned down and planted a kiss on the boys head and he watched as she closed her eyes and smiled. He heard her giggle as she sat down and saw the smiley face that the fruit made on her plate. She kissed him softly and started eating her breakfast.

 _ **Thoughts?**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**First of all, I want to thank every single person that has left a review. They mean more to me than you will ever imagine.**_

Kate smiled at him from where she sat on the floor and hurried to get up. She picked up Benny and placed him in his highchair. She leaned down and planted a kiss on the boys head and he watched as she closed her eyes and smiled. He heard her giggle as she sat down and saw the smiley face that the fruit made on her plate. She kissed him softly and started eating her breakfast.

The day that Benny Vale officially became Benny Castle was like every day before. Except for the fact that he was now officially a member of the Castle household.

Kate woke to Benny's happy chatter over the baby monitor. She smiled and leaned over to kiss her husband softly. Then she whispered, "Today is the day Castle."

Kissing her back softly, he nodded and told her, "It sure is."

"I can't believe that he's going to finally be our son. I was so sure that this day was never going to happen. I love you. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For making all of my dreams come true. Even the ones that I thought were impossible."

"I could say the same thing about you. None of this would have happened if it hadn't been for you. You pushed me to become a better man. To be more than the playboy author that I was all those years ago. This is all because of you Kate."

Kate smiled softly and kissed him again. However, their romantic moment was put on hold by the crying now coming through the baby monitor. Benny was up and he was determined to make sure that his parents knew it.

Getting out of bed, Kate threw a smile over her shoulder and hurried upstairs to their sons room. She smiled the entire time and she knew that today would be amazing.

They arrived at the courthouse shortly before noon. Everyone in their unique family was there. Lanie, Espo, Ryan and Jenny had even brought Sarah Grace with them. Her father had come and so had Alexis and Martha. Everyone they cared about was there to celebrate the day that Benny would become a permanent part of the Castle family.

Kate was holding Benny while the lawyers finalized the paperwork. Finally the judge banged his gavel and pronounced Benny Vale, Benny Castle. It was finally official. Benny was theirs forever.

Then, Caitlyn Alyssa Castle joined their family three months later. The Castle family was, for the moment, complete...

 ** _I know that this is short and sudden, but I've honestly run out of ideas and wanted to give this an end. I might do another one later if I get inspiration. My computer has died and therefore writing is hard for me at the moment... Please leave your thoughts about this story. Once again, thank you for your support of this story..._**


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